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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27058336">Tomorrow There'll Be More of Us</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrickenChicken_FuckinCluckin/pseuds/FrickenChicken_FuckinCluckin'>FrickenChicken_FuckinCluckin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Unrelated Minecraft fics [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Any hate towards the actual people is not Okay, Anyways, Betrayal, Dave | Technoblade and Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are Siblings, Dream Smp, Eret Redemption (Video Blogging RPF), Family Dynamics, Friends to Enemies, Friends to Enemies to Friends, Hurt and comfort, I live for found family and its obvious, Major Character Injury, Mild Gore, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pogtopia, Probably ooc, Redemption, This completely based on their characters in the SMP, im very sorry for this, l'manberg, no beta we die like Tubbo at the festival, not them</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:01:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>62,837</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27058336</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrickenChicken_FuckinCluckin/pseuds/FrickenChicken_FuckinCluckin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Pogtopia is discovered and attacked before Technoblade could be summoned. Now Tommy is missing and the Dream Team has to deal with a traumatized and injured Wilbur.</p><p>The rest of Manberg thinks their former vice president is on the run and their former president is dead leaving everyone unsure of the nation's future.</p><p>What a mess.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clay | Dream &amp; GeorgeNotFound &amp; Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream &amp; Wilbur Soot, Dave | Technoblade &amp; Wilbur Soot &amp; TommyInnit, Eret &amp; Niki | Nihachu, Eret &amp; Niki | Nihachu &amp; Toby Smith | Tubbo, Toby Smith | Tubbo &amp; TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot &amp; TommyInnit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Unrelated Minecraft fics [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2104515</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>600</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1942</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Crow Cult's DSMP Favorites, Found family to make me feel something, MCYT Fic Rec</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. An Explosive Start...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This chapter is just heavy with angst, just a warning! </p><p>As I said in the tags this based on their characters, not the people, I trust you understand the difference but some people seem to be forgetting. Please be nice and clarify when talking about characters in comments and such. </p><p>This was inspired by a TikTok cosplay POV, I think they were cosplaying Tubbo (maybe) to the Hamilton song "Lauren's Interlude" and that's what inspired this I couldn't find their video again, so if anyone's seen it lmk and I'll credit them!<br/>Please enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“It was probably just a creeper, Tommy,” Wilbur said, trying to calm the teen. An explosion had sounded from one of the nearby offshoots of their base, if Wilbur had to guess it was likely in the unofficial mining area. Tommy had been talking to Tubbo about maybe creating a secret tunnel from L’Manberg to Pogtopia in that area, but as far as the older man was aware that was just talk, so there was no cause for concern. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No fucking way. Even if it was, creepers don’t just blow up on their own!” Tommy hissed, earning him an eye roll. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re in a cave, there’s also bats, zombies, skeletons, spiders, cave spiders, enderm--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jesus Christ, man, I get it. We should still go look. At best it's a spider and easy to take care of, but if it's something else then we get the drop on them,” Tommy reasoned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, fine, if it’ll help you calm,” Wilbur said, picking up his sword. Tommy had been convinced they were being followed earlier as well but they hadn’t seen anything, just to be safe they’d taken a long way back to the hideout, “We should grab some armor in that case.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, we’re big tough men, Wilbur!” Tommy declared, striking a dramatic pose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wilbur laughed lightly at the teens' antics, “If you’re so sure then you can go first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With pleasure!”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The cave was quiet, too quiet. They couldn’t hear any spider hisses or bat squeaks, something was wrong, “Tommy, be careful, something's off.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy silently nodded back at him, dropping down into a crouch as they approached the ravine. The pair quietly stepped down the cobblestone stairs, swords raised. Wilbur grabbed an unlit torch from his satchel. It wouldn’t be smart to light it now and give them away but they wouldn't get very far if they couldn’t even see two feet ahead of them. Maybe he could set it down at the top of the stairs, no mob would pay it any mind and it would give enough light for the pair to get rid of whatever pest had caused the noise without tripping over the various rocks and boulders scattered around the cave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tommy, I’ll be right back I’m going to--” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get down!” Tommy’s shout killed the rest of the words in his mouth. Without hesitating Wilbur dropped to the floor, an arrow narrowly missing the place his heart was not a second before. Pain shot through his body as his knees hit the stone ground but he paid it no mind, that wasn’t a skeleton’s shot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sound of metal clashing against metal filled his ears, drawing his attention away from any further speculation. A few feet away from him Tommy was blocking what could have been a fatal blow to the head, though Wilbur couldn’t quite see who the attacker was. That didn’t matter though, Tommy needed help. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He moved to pick up his sword, which had fallen just a little ways away. He let out a cry as something hard and solid slammed down on his hand before he could get a grip on the weapon. He glanced at what had crushed his hand coming face to face with a netherite clad boot, his eyes shot up locking with Ponk’s. Shit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The masked man delivered a hard kick to Wilbur’s face, throwing the brit on to his back. Wilbur rolled on to his knees dodging the sword that crashed into the stone he had been laying on. He grabbed at the axe hanging from his tool belt, there was no way he could reach his sword now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ponk lunged at him once again, Wilbur blocked the blow with his axe, shoving the weapon out of his face. Ponk was by far the better fighter here, Wilbur had a knack for dodging but he needed to get rid of Ponk if he wanted to help Tommy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The intruder kept up his advance, slashing at the other with all his strength. If this was how things kept up Wilbur wouldn’t last long. Shit, he should have called his brother months ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wilbur!” Fuck, Tommy. Wilbur took a second to glance around the cavern trying to find the other's signature red shirt but he couldn’t see anything. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ponk must have noticed his second of hesitation, he slashed at the taller man's hands, forcing him to drop the axe. Without wasting a moment Ponk began stabbing at him. Wilbur raised his hands blocking the blows as best he could. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The blade cut through fabric and skin like nothing, turning his forearms into a bloody mess. Ponk was pushing him into a corner. Away from Tommy, away from any escape. He fucked up. There was nowhere to go now.  In one quick move, Wilbur was fully pinned against the wall, an arm was pressed against his chest keeping him in place. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mr. President</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Ponk hissed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wilbur gasped, the familiar feeling of a sword sinking into his abdomen lighting every nerve in his body on fire. His brain was screaming but his body was frozen still. He stared down at the diamond weapon with wide eyes. Ponk pulled the weapon out of him with a sickening sound. Wilbur dropped to his knees, suddenly too weak to stand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was this how he was going to die? Alone on the floor, in a dark cave with only his killer as company. Even if he did respawn quickly, they only had one respawn point, it wouldn’t take Ponk and the other more than a minute to find it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Things were moving in slow motion now. Before he couldn’t even take a second to breathe, the fight lasted no more than a few minutes but now he could feel his breath shortening, he could hear the blood fall from his wound onto the stone floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Punz, go find and get rid of any respawn points,” He could faintly hear Ponk call, so that’s who had attacked Tommy. Damn it, Tommy would be mad he died. Where was Tommy? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wilbur fully collapsed, the last bit of strength fully leaving him as shock replaced adrenaline. With no ease, he flipped himself onto his back. He couldn’t see Ponk anymore, presumably, he had gone with Punz to find their respawn bed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wil…?” Someone was saying his name, though it was getting harder to hear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blonde hair swam into his vision, frantic blue eyes stared straight at him, was he supposed to be saying something? “Tommy?” He mumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey big man, don’t you fucking die now. That would be really not pogchamp,” Tommy said, trying to give his mentor a smile, but his voice shook, giving away the fear he truly felt. He had to get Wilbur out of here before the other two came back but based on the unfocused look he was getting that wouldn’t be easy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tommy, run,” Wilbur instructed, barely above a whisper at this point. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no fucking way,” Tommy said instantly, “I am not leaving you.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even though he was barely conscious, Wilbur managed to give him an exasperated look in true Wilbur fashion, “Tommy, please, </span>
  <em>
    <span>go</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy shook his head desperately, the tears in his eyes threatening to spill over. Wilbur couldn’t seriously be asking him to leave him behind, they were all each other had! Sure, there was Tubbo but right now they couldn’t see each other, Wilbur was all he had! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Tommy,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Wilbur pleaded, coughing lightly as he raised a hand to softly cradle the teens check. Tommy placed his own hand against his older brothers. This was feeling too much like a goodbye for his liking. Wilbur was his general, his president, </span>
  <em>
    <span>his brother</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he couldn't die. Not here, not like this. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy looked up as the sound of footsteps began to grow louder. They needed to leave </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but Wilbur wasn’t looking good, it would be near impossible for them to escape now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck Wil, I can’t leave you! Please, I don’t know what to do.” Tommy said, voice breaking, tears finally spilling over, “Wilbur, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please get up,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” The older man wasn’t looking at him anymore, his eyes shut. Reluctantly, Tommy let go of Wilbur’s hand, he watched as it fell onto the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No!</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<span>“Hey, Tommy,” Punz’s voice rang out, </span>
  <em>
    <span>shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>What a way to start off a fic huh?</p><p>I have the next few chapters already written and I'm thinking I will be updating every Saturday unless something comes up or I really want to put one out early but no promises.</p><p>Also, how obvious is it that I've never written a fight/whump scene?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Spark in the Darkness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dream Team is here ;)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So chapters are going to have to switch between character POVs since everyone is shattered around the map just so y'all know, I think I'll put POV in the beginning notes btw</p><p>Also, there might be a double update since I missed Saturday, my only excuse is MCC and I had to watch a lot of streams/vods.</p><p>Dream's POV</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I’ve got to make a stop real quick,” Dream announced, turning around to face his two friends. George and Sapnap glanced at each other, smiles fading. Dream’s tone causing a sudden shift in the previously joyous atmosphere. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, where to?” Sapnap asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s a ‘don’t tell anyone it happened’ sort of stop,” Dream said instead of answering the question.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that the same as ‘you two can’t come because I’m aiding fugitives but won’t admit it’ kind?” George asked bluntly. He understood why Dream wouldn’t ever say he was helping Wilbur and Tommy aloud but he didn’t have to be so dramatic all the time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite the mask covering all but his mouth, the eye roll Dream sent his friend was obvious, “Yeah, yeah, don’t be so loud. It’ll only take a minute.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dude,” Sapnap began, “I don’t want to just stand around here in the open while you talk to them. Can’t we just, like, stand outside the door.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think they’d be very happy about that,” Dream pointed out, “Don’t worry Sap George will keep you safe from the big bad monsters.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need him!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t want to hold my hand, Sap?” George asked, feigning hurt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream walked away as the others began to bicker behind him. If manhunts had taught him anything, it was that his friends were easily distracted. The trio had actually stopped not that far from Pogtopia’s entrance so escaping before they noticed he was gone would be easy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could see the faint glow of torches breaking through the trees ahead of him. That...wasn’t right. Wilbur and Tommy had made a rule that the door must be covered at all times, they wouldn’t be reckless enough to just leave the front door open. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sap! George!” Dream called, drawing his sword. He heard the sound of footsteps approaching him just a few seconds later, “Somethings wrong. Stay close, stay on guard.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He began to move closer to the base, trusting the other two to follow, and judging by the sound of a sword being drawn and an arrow being notched they were doing as told. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The false front room looked as though a hurricane had hit it. The dirt covering was strewn across the floor, the chests were turned over and emptied, and the respawn bed was broken into a million pieces.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took them a minute to make their way down the winding staircase into the cavern that served as the main area.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see anything,” George called, glancing over the wooden bridge down at the ground below.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The large fire in the center of the cave was still burning, meaning they had to still be in the cave, or Gods forbid, they didn’t plan on leaving so suddenly, “Keep an eye out,” Dream said after repeating his thoughts to the other two. He didn’t have to look to know they had nodded back at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once they reached the bottom of the pit the team wordlessly split off, Sap headed off towards the far end of the area that had a faint purple glow, if they ran into the Nether it was likely they wouldn’t have gone far. George went to examine the small rooms built into the wall of the main room, while Dream took off towards what looked like another level.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream glanced over the sharp drop into the lower cavern, there was a cobblestone staircase that led down into the area, which meant the area was being used. Though the lack of torches implied the opposite, which was odd.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The blonde went to turn back around, if there weren't torches it was likely no one had been down in a while. It was a fact of their universe that you absolutely had to have every area you used lit, and seeing as there were lanterns and a fire going the missing pair didn’t have time to blow out lights. Before he could make his leave, something caught his eye.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There at the bottom of the pit was a shimmering...something, it was too far away to make out but there was no doubt there was a faint glow. The second rule to survival: don’t leave behind your enchanted tools.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys! I might have something!” Dream shouted. It only took seconds for the others to reach the overlook.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s up?” Sapnap asked, immediately surveying the pit below them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Notice anything?” Dream replied instead of answering. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>George and Sapnap looked at each other before looking back at the masked man, “There’s no torches? They probably didn’t go that way Dream,” George answered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s what I thought too, but over there,” Dream began, pointing towards the enchanted tool, “Why would they leave that behind, have every light still lit yet take the time to put out the torches in here and not find that very obvious tool?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He watched as understanding filled their eyes. Wordlessly the trio raised their weapons again as they walked over towards the staircase.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Sap, light a torch,” George called from the back, the ravine was nearly pitch black and the light from the lanterns in the nearby hall was slowly fading as they neared the bottom of the stairs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap mumbled a quiet confirmation before a flame sparked to life in front of the trio, illuminating the cavern ahead of them. It took a second for them to adjust to the close light but they continued forward nonetheless. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once again they split up to cover more ground as they reached the ravine, leaving the torch resting against the steps. Dream and Sap pushed forward deeper into the ravine, George hung back near the entrance, he was more of an archer than a melee fighter which required distance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He made his way over to the enchanted tool, just in case there were any clues as to what happened. As he approached it the tool began to take a defined shape. George knelt down next to the sword, trying to get a better look at it. The sword itself was clean like it hadn’t been used before it was discarded, except for some dirt in the shape of what appeared to be a footprint. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s a footprint on the sword!” George shouted his findings to the other two. It was becoming increasingly clear the weapon hadn’t been accidentally forgotten, “I’ll see if there’s more!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He moved his goggles to the top of his head, trying to get a better look at the ground. There was some slight discoloration on the ground but the natural cave winds had covered whatever liquid had been spilled with dirt. A pit began to grow in his stomach, the trashed rooms, discarded sword, and now dark mystery stains on the floor near the weapon. It didn’t take a genius to figure out something bad had happened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys! I think there’s blood here!” In a minute the other two were right next to him, analyzing the scene themselves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If that’s blood there should be a trail,” Dream said, glancing at the ground around them, “Be careful where you step.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, guys, there’s an axe,” Sapnap pointed out, gesturing towards the other weapon just a few feet away from them, nearly out of reach of the torches light. Sapnap stood up and grabbed the torch, walking over to the axe, “Guys, there’s a shit ton of blood right here,” He said, just a hint of shock making its way into his words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>George and Dream shared a glance before they walked over to where Sapnap stood. He hadn’t been kidding when he said there was a lot of blood. It trailed off further back into the cave section, just out of the light's reach. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Be ready for whatever we find,” George said, glancing at Dream. He wasn’t sure how close he’d gotten to the land’s fugitives over the past six months, or if Dream would even consider them more than a charity case, but the amount of blood they could see was disturbing either way. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wordlessly Dream took the torch from Sapnap, walking forward into the darkness. The trail didn’t appear very long, most of the blood in large pools. This wasn’t a fight, whatever happened was one-sided. Whoever the blood came from was on defense, the discarded weapons just proved the theory, this was a fight without honor. That eliminated Wilbur as the attacker,</span>
  <em>
    <span> he always had a stupid sense of honor when it came to battle</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Dream thought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It could have been Tommy, he was less strict when it came to fairness. The kid had a strong sense of moral but if someone he loved was under attack he would throw it out the window, Dream had learned that pretty quickly. But Tommy was less strategy and more </span>
  <em>
    <span>attack now</span>
  </em>
  <span>, one day he could be a great fighter but the last Dream saw he was still too eager to impress his beloved president. Though it was impossible to tell for sure, based on the weapons, blood droplet placement, and amount, there appeared to only be one majorly injured person. An attack like this took focus and skill, Tommy was just as unlikely in that case-- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dream!” Sapnap exclaimed, grabbing on to the others arm, keeping him from tripping over a lump on the ground. Dream looked down at the ground, trying to see what he’d stumbled over. His eyes widened behind the mask as he took in the gloved hand sticking through the darkness. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Those are Wilbur’s gloves</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shit,” Dream said, staring down at the hand. The three stood in shock for only half a second before George pushed his way ahead of the other two. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Torch,” He called as knelt down grabbing the wrist, trying to find a pulse. Dream walked closer, the light revealing the rest of the body. The wall and ground were completely covered in blood yet Wilbur himself made them look spotless. The main wound was somewhere on his torso though it was impossible to tell exactly where the blood had completely soaked his shirt turning the once-white shirt a crimson red. The long brown coat he'd taken to wearing appeared almost black from the sheer amount of blood that stained it. His arms were absolutely destroyed, resembling raw meat more than a human arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well we know what caused the blood now,” Sapnap commented, a nervous laugh followed right after. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pulse?” Dream asked instead of paying his other friend any mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Barley,” Geroge answered, quickly pulling out bandages and potions from his satchel. He made quick work of dosing the bandages in the healing potion before he wrapped them around the unconscious man's arms. George paused for a second, taking a deep breath before he moved to examine the chest wound. It was deep but he couldn’t tell if it went all the way through without moving Wilbur. The cut itself was clean, thankfully, and there appeared to only be one that he could see. Considering the faint pulse it was safe to assume that the blade had missed any important organs, which made George's job a lot easier. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That needs a lot of attention if he has half a chance,” George said glancing back at his team, “Now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Take my pearls, get to the base as fast as you can. Sap go with him, come back if you can, stay if Gogy needs you. I’ll look for Tommy,” Dream ordered, handing off a few ender pearls to George while Sapnap stooped down to pick up Wilbur. The two nodded back at him before quickly making their way out of the base.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The blood on the ground all appeared to belong to Wilbur, and he hadn’t seen any evidence of another near murder. Which meant the kid either escaped or he was taken, for Tommy's sake, Dream hoped he had gotten away. He scanned the rest of the cavern on his own for what felt like an eternity. Sapnap returned a while after they’d left to help with the search, his white shirt was stained red and he looked considerably more tired than he had before. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A silent nod and a weak smile was all the reassurance Dream needed to continue on with the search. It was evident that the teenager wasn’t in the structure so it was agreed they’d search for only a half an hour more before they’d head back to their own base. If Tommy ran further than that, the odds of them finding him were slim, they had no idea how long he’d had to run before that. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<span>By the time the thirty minutes were up they were no closer to finding the kid than they were before. Dream hoped Tommy had found somewhere safe to stay until they could find him. Tommy was smart, but Wilbur was near death and there was no telling how much Tommy had seen of the fight. He was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>kid</span>
  </em>
  <span> and now he was alone in a land that was hunting him,<em> Gods, if that was his little sister...</em>Dream shook his head. No, Tommy was a fighter, he knew how to handle himself, they’d go back out in the morning and search more, Tommy would survive until then. He had to. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Idk what write here tbh, hope y'alls days have been good!</p><p>Lmk if there are any mistakes or such </p><p>Also, the next chapter is Painful</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Waking Nightmare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Wilbur wakes up and George has some news</p>
<p>Wilbur/Dream POV</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Have another chapter...as a treat :D<br/>Also I have a few questions in the endnotes if y'all don't mind answering rq</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It hurt. It all hurt </span>
  <em>
    <span>so much</span>
  </em>
  <span>, was the one thought that crossed his mind. It hurt to think, so he decided to stop doing that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur slowly cracked open one eye, taking in the ceiling above him. It was wooden, which meant he wasn’t in Pogtopia. Though, that just made more questions, where was he? Why wasn’t he in Pogtopia? Where was…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tommy?” He said aloud, voice a lot weaker than he anticipated. He had to move, he had to find Tommy, he had to—</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, hey, woah. Lay back down, you’re really injured, if you start moving now you’re just going to make it worse,” A voice said from beside him. The voice sounded familiar but that only caused a pit to grow in his stomach, most familiar voices were out to kill him now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I gotta...Tommy…” He tried, maybe he was a bit more exhausted than he originally realized. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You pout like a child,” The voice spoke again, through a wheezing laugh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wait a minute, “Dream?” Wilbur asked, trying to turn his head to his left. There was only one person in the SMP with that distinct laugh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s me. Don’t worry, if I wanted you dead, you would have been a long time ago,” Dream said. That likely wasn’t the most comforting thing to say to a bedridden man who still thought of you as an enemy, but Dream was tired, so sue him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh...cheers,” Wilbur gritted out. He honestly wasn’t sure if he was actually upset he’d woken up to Dream of all people. It wasn’t his top pick but Dream </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> reached out to Tommy and offered silent support so at least he wasn’t going to be handed off to Schlatt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dream rolled his eyes, Wil had always been more on the dramatic side. “Anyway, since you’re awake, I’ve got a list of questions I have to ask you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“George is our self-appointed healer and he’s scary when we don’t take his medical instructions seriously. He asked me to and I want to live,” Dream explained, only half joking. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“George knows where I am?” Wilbur cautiously asked, just a hint of fear slipping in. It wasn’t good if George knew, he worked for Schlatt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh, “Yes, he does. But he holds no loyalty to Schlatt, most of the people working for him weren’t asked if they’d like to, they were just sort of told to under threat of violence,” Dream hoped that calmed Wilbur’s nerves, if he was going to fight George every step, what should be just a few days of healing would turn into Gods know how long. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur didn’t trust George but Dream appeared to. Maybe he shouldn’t be putting too much value on Dream’s opinion but his options were limited when he couldn’t even sit up yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, fine. I don’t have much of a choice, now do I?” Wilbur conceded, clearly unhappy with it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great,” Dream sighed, it would be easier if Wilbur was still the trusting fool he was not all that long ago. In any other situation, it would be good that Wilbur developed some thicker skin but right now it was inconvenient, “So, can I ask the questions now?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He waited for Wilbur to nod his head, “What’s the last thing you remember?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh, what was the last thing he remembered? Tommy and he had been in Pogtopia, he knew that. Tommy had been telling him that they should build a tower. Then...then what? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know, Tommy and I were talking? In our base,” Wilbur said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, good, you aren’t actually missing all that much,” Dream said. Based on the scared look Wilbur was giving him maybe that wasn’t the best choice of words to start with, “Want me to be honest with you Will? You and Tommy were attacked, in your base. We’re not sure who, exactly, but they tore the place apart and left you to die. Shit, we thought they had succeeded when we found you, we didn’t see Tommy, we think he managed to escape. Sap and I went looking for him but couldn’t find anything,” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was right. Tommy had been talking about the tower when they heard the explosion sound from the designated mining area…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit!” Wilbur shouted, sitting up straight, panic overtaking the stabbing pain shooting all across his body. Fuck, Ponk and Punz had shown up in the base. He told Tommy to run but Tommy never listened to him, not when it mattered the most, not when he told him to leave. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gods, the blankets felt more like a trap than a comfort, he had to get out, he couldn't breathe. Shit, he was going to die here. Next to his old enemy, suffocated by blankets. Tommy was going to hate him and he was going </span>
  <em>
    <span>die--</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wilbur, stop!” Dreamed shouted, shooting to his feet, “Wilbur, calm down! You’re safe now but if you keep struggling you’re going to hurt yourself more! The potions are still working!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No, no, he had to go, he had to find Tommy before Ponk or Punz did. He finally managed to get the layered blankets off of himself, with that out of the way he began to slowly move his way closer towards the edge of the bed. He just needed to get off the bed, escape wherever it was he woke up, and find Tommy, easy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could hear another sigh coming from the masked man. As soon as Wilbur was mostly out of the bed it hit him that maybe that hadn’t been the smartest idea. He felt a pair of arms wrap around him, saving him from falling completely on the floor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wilbur, you need to stop,” Dream said, significantly quieter than before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>need</span>
  </em>
  <span> to find him, Dream. He’s all that I have,” Wilbur said, voice filled with desperation, all the events catching up to him at once. He didn’t care that he wasn’t strong enough to stand on his own, he didn’t care that everything in him was screaming at him to just lay down, Tommy was somewhere, all on his own. It didn’t matter, nothing mattered if Tommy was in danger. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will, you can’t stand up on your own, what good are you going to be for Tommy like this?” Dream asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I--” Wilbur began, quickly cutting himself off. What could he do like this? Tommy was strong and capable all on this own, but who knows how long Wilbur had been out. Gods, what if he wasn’t even missing? What if Ponk and Punz had gotten to him? Or if he was out in the wilderness on his own, they could be hunting him still. No, Wilbur needed to </span>
  <em>
    <span>get out.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Even if he wasn’t going to be much help, he had to try, “I’m fine, or at least I’m going to be, now let me go!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not how this is going to work, Wilbur, okay? We’re trying to help you here but you are already making this a lot harder than it needs to be,” Dream said, tightening his grip on the other. He was holding most of Wilbur’s weight but it was clear the other wasn’t giving up his escape attempt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Tommy needs me,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> He pleaded, weakly pushing at the masked man. Tears stung his eyes, he didn’t even try to stop them as they freely fell, “He’s just a kid!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know,” Dream said, unsure of what he was meant to say or do in a situation like this. Dream, George, and Sapnap were all close but none of them were overly emotional, not in a way where any of them were used to tears, “I know but he’s strong, he’ll be okay.” That only seemed to make the other cry harder. Dream slowly eased Wilbur back onto the bed, trying his best not to further jostle his injuries. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ponk, he-he--,” Wilbur tried but a sob cut off the words before he could finish, “And Punz!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, that answered who did it, but Wilbur didn’t seem to be in a state to answer any more questions, “You’re okay, man,” Dream mumbled, awkwardly patting Wilbur’s back gently, “You don’t have to talk now, take your time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They stayed that way for a couple more minutes before Wilbur’s soft cries died out as exhaustion took over once again. Dream lowered him back into a lying position as best he could without waking him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The dirty-blonde sighed as he closed the bedroom door behind him, running a hand through his hair. At least they now knew what happened to Wilbur, but Tommy was still a complete mystery, and based on his reaction upon being reminded of the attack, Wilbur didn’t have a clue either. Hopefully, George had heard something while he was in Manberg, but neither George nor Sapnap would be home for a few more hours, all Dream could do was wait.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>George got back first looking significantly pissed off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s up with you?” Dream asked from his seat at their dining table. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Schlatt is fucking insane is what’s up,” George said, slamming the front door shut and dropping into the seat next to his friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dream snorted, everyday George would get home and tell them about the weird things the Schlatt administration had gotten up to that day. For a cruel dictatorship, everyone in power was an idiot, if George was to be believed, “What did he do today?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, he bursts into my office with no warning, grinning like a madman. He starts going off about how much he ‘loves democracy’,” George explained, putting air quotes around the last two words, “Of course I already know why he’s saying all that but I couldn’t let him know that, and he refused to tell me for probably 30 minutes. He was genuinely giggly at the fact Wilbur died. He didn’t leave until Ponk popped in and asked if he wanted to kill a godsdamn cat to celebrate, A </span>
  <em>
    <span>cat</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Dream!” The brit exclaimed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dream gave his friend a sympathetic pat, trying to suppress the amused smile fighting to stay on his face as George dropped his head into his hands, “Wilbur woke up by the way,” He said, George probably needed a distraction from his crazy boss.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Already?” George asked, turning to face Dream again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, just for a few minutes. At first, he was pretty out of it and didn’t remember what had happened, but I explained and he kinda...freaked out,” Dream elaborated, trying to phrase it in a way that would give George the least amount of stress.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But based on the groan that got, it wasn’t a successful attempt, “Freaked out how?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lots of tears, scared for Tommy, tried to escape, he did say who did it thou--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>George’s head shot up at that, “He tried to escape?!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dream cringed slightly, he was hoping if he said it fast enough George wouldn’t have caught it, or at least he’d be distracted by the last bit, “Well, he tried to get out of the bed and immediately collapsed. So if you’d consider that an escape attempt, then yes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please tell me you did not let him fall on the floor.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course not! I got him back into the bed immediately after and the sobbing tired him out again,” Dream promised, holding both of his hands up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>George seemed to accept that enough to give up on lecturing for the time being, “Okay, sure, I’ll have to check on him again to make sure he didn’t make anything worse. I’m honestly surprised he was able to get out of the bed at all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He was pretty panicked about Tommy, maybe it was like that mother's panic thing but for his right-hand man,” Dream suggested.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure, why not? That’s not the stupidest thing I’ve heard today,” George said, “Next time he wakes up I need to talk to him.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dream nodded, “He wasn’t very happy about you knowing where he is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you tell him I don’t give a shit about Schlatt?” George asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Course, he’s accepting it but just wanted to give you a heads up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>George hummed in response. They fell into a comfortable silence after that, each lost in their own thoughts until Sapnap got back to the house as well, not too long afterward.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where have you been?” George asked, the noise from the front door distracting them from their thoughts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“With Karl,” Sapnap answered, walking past his two friends.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why am I not surprised,” Dream said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up,” Sap mumbled, taking a seat at the table as well, “What have you guys been up to?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just suffered in hell for a few too many hours,” George said, giving him a fake smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did Big Q try to strip again?” Sapnap asked, genuinely smiling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When isn’t Quackity trying to strip?” George answered causing the other two to laugh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fair enough, what about you?” Sapnap nodded towards Dream.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wilbur woke up for a bit which was...interesting. But, I’ve got a vague idea about what happened,” Dream said, “It was Ponk and Punz. I’m pretty sure Ponk was the one who attacked him since that’s the name he shouted first,”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That would make sense, Ponk was the one Schlatt ran off to </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘celebrate’</span>
  </em>
  <span> with,” George agreed. Sapnap sent Dream a questioning look at the tone George used on the celebrate but the man in the green hoodie just shook his head, at least one of them could be spared from </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> mental image.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Speaking of Schlatt’s celebrations, He’s making a public announcement about Wilbur’s death tomorrow but he also wants to hold a nationwide party in a week or so,” George added.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh Gods, that won’t go well,” Dream said. It was no secret that a large number of people in Manberg didn’t have high approval for their president, it was just that nobody was brave enough to publicly speak out against him. Except for the baker, Niha-something, but she was only one person. Eret had also shown his disapproval but he wasn’t a citizen of Manberg, nor was he really welcomed there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All they could do now was wait and pray Tommy showed up, but for now, they needed to play it safe.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay so Karl and Sapnap...they're technically engaged and set to be married in canon, so two questions actually, A) What has Karl said about all that and B) should it be included at all?</p>
<p>I plan on starting to add more characters soon and Karl is one of them, their relationship could easily be written as platonic but I wanted the audience opinion/ what y'all know</p>
<p>Also this is the double update I promised since I missed Saturday, I can't promise a double update every time I miss one but there ya go!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A Moment Before the Storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>George and Wilbur talk :)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is just a small filler chapter tbh so sorry if it's not the best but yeah :D a few teases for some stuff that aren't subtle at all but oh well</p><p>Also, the mage Phil idea is borrowed from itisjosh here on AO3, they have an incredible series about the SMP going on which I highly recommend!</p><p>George POV</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>George stared at the wooden door in front of him. He’d been putting off any confrontation with their...guest for long enough. It was his job to take care of anyone who stayed at the base’s health, whether Wilbur liked it or not that now included him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dream said he’d heard some movement on his way down to the kitchen just a few minutes ago so Wilbur was likely awake again. Maybe he should have gotten Dream to go in first. Even if Wilbur didn’t trust Dream, he trusted him a whole lot more than George. And George didn’t know how to handle tears, none of them did but at least Dream had dealt with it before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, this was Geroge’s job, the one he actually cared about. With a sigh, he raised a hand to knock on the door before he could bring the hand down a small crash emitted from the bedroom. Without hesitation he barged into the room, drawing his sword, ready for whatever was waiting for him. At best Wilbur had fallen out of the bed again, but the Schlatt Administration had required all personnel to share their home addresses, and he had to put the base to avoid suspicion. He could take Ponk or Punz, and the other two were in the house but if they knew--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George paused, his sword dropping to his side, “What the fuck are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wilbur stared back with wide eyes, half out the window, “Nothing. What are you doing?” He said, forcing a too-large smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing? Because it looks like you’re about to fall out of the window,” George pointed out with a raised eyebrow, crossing his arms. Wilbur didn’t even bother responding simply smiling wider, George rolled his eyes, at least he had the decency to look a little sheepish at getting caught, “Here let me help you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George walked over to the window firmly grabbing the other’s arm as he eased himself off the window seal and helped walk him back to the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just so you’re aware if you were Dream or Sap I’d hit you, and if this happens again I won’t be as nice,” George threatened, “What the actual hell Wilbur? You really shouldn't be moving around so much, you’re going to make this process so much worse than it has to be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wilbur quirked an eyebrow and quickly dropped it, glancing off to the side, avoiding the other man's look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still nothing? Fine, don’t talk, I’ll do it for both of us. I get you don’t trust me, that’s fine, you have every reason not too. But I can’t stand Schlatt or anyone in that government, except maybe two people, including Tubbo. Once upon a time they may have been my friends, but too many lines have been crossed,” George began explaining, “We fought tooth and nail to keep L’Manberg from becoming a place, but that’s the past, we have a common enemy now and honestly, L’Manberg wasn’t bad,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I know I am sort of directly at fault for Schlatt and Quackity pooling together and undermining the election and </span>
  <em>
    <span>I am sorry,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Wilbur. I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> sorry. If you give me the chance I’d love to make it up to everyone. But the fact is, everyone thinks you’re dead, Tommy is missing, and Schlatt is still in power, you need as many allies as you can get. You aren’t stupid Wilbur, stop acting like it,” George finished with a huff. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence filled the small room. George may not have been excited about the confrontation but he’d hoped for a little more conversation, a little fight would even be more welcomed than the quiet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wilbur closed his eyes, letting out a small breath, before he opened them and finally looked at George, “Dream said you had questions?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was better than nothing he supposed, “Yes, I do,” George said, sitting in the chair nearby, “So, I know Dream tried but didn’t get very far, what all are you up to date on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I remember everything until I passed out,” Wilbur answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Walk me through the day?” George asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, nothing really of importance happened until...you know. We had gone out for no more than an hour but Tommy had been convinced we were being followed, which I suppose ended up being true. We tried taking a long way back but in hindsight that didn’t do much,” Wilbur said, frustration seeping in this voice at the end, “We had been talking down by the fire when we heard an explosion in one of the areas we really only use for mining. Tommy wanted to go investigate but I thought it was just a creeper, I mean, obviously, in the end, we did. They caught us completely by surprise. Tommy was in front of me, I don’t why I had him go first…” He trailed off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You couldn’t have known what was going to happen, you thought it was a creeper,” George assured the other, trying to avoid another breakdown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wilbur shook his head before continuing, “It was Ponk and Punz. Ponk got me before I even realized while Punz went after Tommy. He didn’t give me a single second to process anything going on, it was just hit after hit, he wouldn’t stop. And then I couldn’t find Tommy, and everything hurt, and then Ponk stabbed me, and it all….stopped,” Wilbur said, his eye somewhere that clearly wasn’t the present.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” George prompted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It got all fuzzy and it didn’t hurt anymore. Then Tommy appeared and he was trying to talk to me, but it was hard to focus so I told him to run. But he’s Tommy, he wouldn’t go even though there was no way they weren’t going to go back. That’s all I remember,” Wilbur finished, quickly wiping at his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George looked away, he wasn’t sure what to do here, “It’s okay to be upset,” he tried. Wilbur gave him a small smile but continued to try and stop the tears, “Seriously, your mental health is just as important as your physical, you keep pushing everything down it’ll explode eventually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Wilbur said, barely above a whisper, “It’s just a little hard to do when everyone expects you to be strong,” he admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George stared at him for a few seconds. Wilbur probably has been under a lot of pressure ever since the war started two years ago, between becoming a general to the president and now an outlaw there mustn’t have been a lot of time to just sit down and process everything. If that was true George was surprised he hadn’t had a breakdown yet, “Crying doesn’t make you weak.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It only took another minute before the tears dried completely, which George was thankful for. Maybe that was selfish, Wilbur obviously needed it but he was way out of his depth there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’d you sleep?” George asked, moving on before the silence got awkward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Wilbur said, “to be honest, I didn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Godsdamn it, “You need to sleep, it’s an important part of the healing process,” George pointed out, running a hand down his face. Wilbur was shaping up to be more difficult than both Dream and Sapnap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For the past two years every time I fall asleep it's a new horrific nightmare and let’s just say all this </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> hasn’t helped,” Wilbur vaguely explained. That was...fair, George supposed. Maybe he could figure out a potion or something that could take away the nightmares.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll figure something out,” He promised. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was quiet for a bit after that, George was trying to go at a pace that wouldn’t stress Wilbur out too much, though it had felt like an eternity since he’d entered the room. At least Wilbur was cooperating which was better than what he’d expected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dream said you managed to get out of the bed yesterday,” George said, breaking the silence, “You shouldn’t be able to move around like that yet. Even with all the potions and treatments.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The curly-haired man huffed out a laugh at that, “Yeah my dad knows a bit of magic, he placed a few protection spells on me and my brothers when we left home. I guess, we heal a bit faster than most because of that,” Wilbur explained vaguely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Magic? Like actual magic, not just enchantment and potions?” George asked, genuinely curious in the mystery figure Wilbur called his dad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s not a dead art! I mean, he’s one of the last people to fully grasp it in basically all the worlds but still. He taught me a bit, as well.” Wilbur elaborated, pride seeping into his voice, matching the small smile that was growing on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George couldn’t say he’d seen Wilbur smile since the day Wilbur moved to what would become L’Manberg, it was...nice, “What’s his name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wilbur hummed debating whether he wanted to tell George the truth or not, “Phil…” He settled on a half-truth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay fine, keep your secrets. But that’s incredible,” George said, leaning back in his chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s alright,” Wilbur agreed, looking at ease for the first time since George had entered the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, how much faster does this magic make you heal?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure exactly. They got me pretty bad but I should be relatively fine in a few days, it usually takes at most a week after whatever caused the injury happened. It typically works faster if one or more of my brothers are around but...they’re both...somewhere else,” Wilbur explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George nodded, it made sense a dad protective enough to place the spell would want it to benefit his kids in the most ways, “Where are they? If you don’t mind me asking,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wilbur glanced up at him, eyes a bit wide apparently caught off guard by the question, “Oh, well my older brother has a farm off on some world he’s been working on while he takes a break from his usual schedule,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the other?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You haven’t figured that one out?” Wilbur asked, with a raised eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George sent the brunet his own questioning glance, “Have I met him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sure have, more than once, actually,” Wilbur answered, laughing at the perplexed look George wore, “You’ll figure it out eventually.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before the man in the blue shirt could respond, Sapnap’s voice rang from downstairs demanding his presence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop moving around, I don’t care about your dad's magic. If you try to escape again I’ll make Ponk look like a saint,” Geroge warned, “We’ll change those bandages when I get back,” He gave Wilbur a polite smile before he exited the room and made his way down the stairs to where he’d been called.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Letter from Schlatt,” Sapnap said, throwing said letter at his friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning to you too asshole,” George mumbled as he opened the letter, not even trying to suppress the eye roll his “boss’s” handwriting caused. A quick scan of the letter showed that it was just further instructions on the work he’d been assigned at the start of the week, “It’s nothing important. He wants me to go in tomorrow, though.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gross,” Was all Sapnap said, which was fair George supposed. He had asked for the day off but it appeared, like with most things, Schlatt didn’t care. There was the plan to announce Wilbur’s death but really only Quackity and Tubbo were needed, they did the most work out of the whole staff, and George typically got a pass on those types of things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He should probably check in on Tubbo, there was the likely chance he didn’t know yet and he was going to find out "what happened" just like everyone else at the event. It was going to suck but Tubbo couldn’t know the truth, not yet. But the kid had already been through a lot, it would be nice to have one other person in the office to talk to, for both of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>George sighed as he made his way back up the stairs to get ready for work. Tomorrow was going to be a shit show.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Another chapter! Happy Halloween y'all! I was a low budget Mothman which is just everything I've always wanted</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chin Up, It's a Party</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's the day of President Schlatt's announcement.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A Note: So now that Tubbo is here I just wanted to restate that I'm not writing Tubbo but the character so I don't want it to seem as though I'm "babying" him or such but the character he plays comes across as very innocent at times, even though Tubbo's like fav show is South Park. So yeah!</p>
<p>Tubbo POV</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tubbo missed Tommy. It had been six months since the election but it still hurt like hell. Most nights he would sneak out to where their bench used to be, he’d dangle his legs off the side of the cliff and listen to the wind blow through the trees, tonight wasn’t any different. The bench and jukebox had been removed not a week after Tommy and Wilbur had been banished, Tubbo didn’t know who had done it but he hated them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur used to say they shouldn’t hate their enemies for petty reasons, everyone had a reason for doing what they did but Wilbur wasn’t around to teach him anymore. That bench and music box were some of the last physical reminders of his best friend, and they were taken away. So all he could do was sit where they once had and imagine that things weren’t as bad as they were.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gods, he hoped Tommy and Wilbur were safe. They </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be okay or all hope was lost. All the citizens had been holding onto the hope that their former presidents would return and save them. Schlatt was a monster, through and through.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo hated him from the start, as soon as he had banished Wilbur and Tommy and as soon as he stopped Tubbo from going with them, Tubbo knew he would never accept him as their president. But in the following months, Schlatt had been...almost kind. He let Tubbo begin adopting his dogs, he would go out just to talk to random citizens, and he had taken Fundy under his wing. Even if Tubbo was still mad at Fundy for burning the flag and abandoning all they’d fought for, it was clear that was what Fundy needed. Tubbo never let go of the banishments but he had almost felt bad for it at points.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then Niki started speaking out more. She had played it safe for the first two months but even so, she was outspoken about her disapproval of Schlatt since day one, the sudden increase of those concerns put her on Schlatt’s radar. Fundy had told the president about how she and Wilbur had been close but he simply hadn’t cared, he didn’t see her as a threat. But after he began to pay attention, the bakery had its taxes raised to the point it could no longer stay open, especially after someone had broken in and stolen from it. After that Niki hadn’t been able to go to the town square without guards harassing her for crimes everyone knew she hadn’t committed, her house became the target for griefing as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone knew it was Schlatt who had given all the orders, he bragged about it in every meeting after it started, despite Quackity trying to tell him to stop. Niki became the blueprint for every citizen who dared question their leader. People would go missing or be randomly arrested for no reason, guards became more aggressive and physical. It didn’t take long at all for everyone to stop questioning Schlatt. She moved briefly into Tommy’s old ‘summer home’ but that hadn’t lasted long.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Niki ran away the week before, she hadn’t said when she’d be back, just that she would be. Tubbo was pretty sure she was with Eret. Tubbo liked Eret, it was clear that he was trying to change and he was helping a lot of those seeking an escape from Schlatt, that's all that mattered to Tubbo. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy wouldn’t trust him...Tommy wouldn’t trust anyone but Wilbur and Tubbo. Maybe that’s what he should be doing, </span>
  <em>
    <span>gods,</span>
  </em>
  <span> everything was so much more confusing without Tommy there to help read between the lines. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy promised to let him know how he and Wilbur were doing via Whisper at the start of every week when they couldn’t meet face to face, but he’d missed this week's check-in. It took everything in Tubbo not to let his mind run wild with worry, he needed to keep a calm head. Wilbur and Tommy were both strong and capable,</span>
  <em>
    <span> they were okay</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo sighed glancing up at the stars. He quietly sent a prayer to whichever god was listening that they were safe. Tubbo stood up, brushing the dirt off of his pants. The sun would be rising in a few moments and Schlatt had a big announcement at noon. If Tubbo was less than a hundred percent attentive then Schlatt would get suspicious. Sleep sounded very nice, actually. Maybe Niki will be back tomorrow. Tubbo just hoped whatever the announcement was, it wouldn’t be too bad.</span>
</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was late. Of all the days to oversleep, today was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> the day, Schlatt was going to be pissed at him. Maybe staying up till sunrise worrying over your missing family wasn’t the smartest thing to do when your psychotic boss wants to make a ‘worlds changing announcement’, but Tubbo was stressed and the dogs were being loud and---</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tubbo!” Shit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Schlatt!” Tubbo said, forcing a large smile he prayed was convincing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where have you been, bud?” Schlatt asked, clapping his hands together, a lazy smile adorning his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo answered without hesitating, “Morning sickness.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The smile dropped from the hybrid's face, a look of confusion taking its place, “Tubbo, do you know what that is?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Crap, “Uhhhh….yes?” He thought it meant just being sick in the morning but the tone in Schlatt's voice told him that might be wrong. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, well, you look that up because I don’t think you do. Anyway! Are you ready for the big day?” Schlatt said as he leaned down to place a hand on the teen’s shoulder, the smile returning but his tone held something sinister in it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo looked down at the ground, whenever Schlatt used that tone it meant someone was in trouble, and when someone got in trouble everyone paid the price, “Y-yes, Schlatt--sir.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perfect, I think you are just going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> it,” Schlatt promised, the tone never changing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I believe you, sir,” Tubbo agreed. He was going to hate whatever it was, he knew it. Before he was worried but now he was downright terrified. The way Schlatt spoke was the one he used to let others know he knew something they didn’t, and if Schlatt was teasing a secret...Gods help whoever was caught in the crossfire. Schlatt never exposed his hand, not even to Quackity, no one knew what would be happening until it was unfolding before them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good,” Schlatt said, roughly patting Tubbo’s cheek as he straightened back up, “Big things are happening Tubbo! Chin up, kid, no party poopers at my shindig!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, sir,” Tubbo agreed once again, through gritted teeth. Gods that man made him want to scream, but no. Wilbur told him that a clear mind made clear choices, Tommy was counting on him to get as much information as he could, so Tubbo would do what he did best. He would follow behind with a bright smile, that’s what everyone expected from him so for now, that’s what he’d do. But one day, one day he’d get to give the bastard a piece of his mind.</span>
</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you! Thank you, everyone, for coming!” Schlatt’s voice rang through the city from his place at the podium. Tubbo looked over the citizens who had been ushered into the area, everyone had been made aware that an announcement would be made today but much like Tubbo they hadn’t been given any clues as to what it would be about, Tubbo mused, tuning out the President.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>George had found him earlier that morning, he’d simply asked how he’d been doing. That had been odd in itself but then George had also said that he’d ‘always be willing to help’ but the tone he’d used made it seem like there was a hidden meaning behind the offer. Tubbo wouldn’t say he </span>
  <em>
    <span>liked</span>
  </em>
  <span> George per se, they hadn’t gotten the chance to interact much but he had proven himself not to be the heartless killer Tubbo had in his mind since the war. The offer was nice but it really only served to make the worry grow over the announcement, even if the role of Vice President was more of a formality George was still kept up-to-date more so than Tubbo at times. The odds were George knew what was about to happen, and it clearly wasn’t good.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo glanced away from the crowd, it was hard to look at them when most probably saw him as a traitor. He loved his people but he was Schlatt’s right-hand man and Schlatt had hurt so many of them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before he could spiral down that train of thought a shiny flash of gold caught his attention. He squinted trying to find where the bright flash of color came from, Tubbo fought to suppress the smile making its way onto his face. At the back of the crowd, off the side stood Eret, his crown and red jacket unmistakable against the cobblestone, and next to him stood, who Tubbo assumed to be, Niki. It was hard to tell whether or not she looked any better but Tubbo hoped the week had been good to her. Her light blue hood was pulled up over her head, hiding her face, if she hadn’t told him where she had gone he probably wouldn’t have known it was her. Seeing them was like a breath of fresh air, they may not all be in the same position but they were similar enough, they might be the only two friends he had left nearby.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now!” Schlatt’s booming voice cut through the teens' excitement, “I supposed you all want to know why I dragged you out of your homes. Well, I’ve got a bit of big news! So big next week we’re gonna celebrate! How does that sound? A nice</span>
  <em>
    <span> party,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Schlatt continued, his smile taking a sinister turn at the end. Tubbo held his breath, this was it, “A party to celebrate the death of your former dictator.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What? No, no no no</span>
  <em>
    <span> no</span>
  </em>
  <span>. There was only one person that could be but--but Wilbur couldn’t die! Wilbur </span>
  <em>
    <span>couldn’t fucking die</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No!” The cry broke the deafening silence that fell across the crowd. The tears spilling from his eyes made it impossible to see but he knew that was Niki. The pain in her voice alone made it all real, the same voice she had on election day, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wilbur was dead.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Schlatt sighed into the microphone, “Godsdamnit, why is that bitch here? Who let her back in?!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo needed to help her but--but what could he do? Wilbur was dead, what was the point? He’d never been able to do anything before. Why would that change now? It was always Wilbur and Tommy saving the day, he was just there, </span>
  <em>
    <span>they were the heroes! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Heroes didn’t die, not really. Gods, he was useless, why was he </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span> so </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking</span>
  </em>
  <span> useless? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eret was pushing the guards away from a screaming Niki, but Tubbo couldn’t do anything. It felt as though someone had shot through his feet nailing him to his spot. The blurriness subsided as the tears fell again, he could see as Eret practically carried a sobbing Niki out of the area, the guards following behind them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked over as a laugh rumbled next to him. Schlatt was overlooking the broken faces of the crowd and he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking smiling.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tubbo felt as the rage bubbled up from inside him, he’d only felt this level of anger once before, when he thought Dream had perma-killed Tommy at the duel. He could kill Schlatt, right here, right now. Wilbur was gone so what was the point of pretending anymore?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>But he didn’t say Tommy,</span>
  </em>
  <span> a small voice reminded him. Schlatt would have said whether Tommy was dead or not, wouldn’t he? Tommy may not have been President but he was the vice, and just as important. The people weren’t waiting on Wilbur, they were waiting on Wilbur </span>
  <em>
    <span>and Tommy.</span>
  </em>
  <span> The two were a team, everyone knew that Schlatt included.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy would be mad if he threw everything away now, especially if Tommy was still alive.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I told you, chin up Tubbo. No party poopers,” Schlatt said, turning to smirk down at the kid. Schlatt patted the teens back hard enough to nearly knock him over, if it wasn’t for the larger arms that caught him it would have. George’s concerned eyes swam into his vision but the movement just past the brits shoulder caught his attention first. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stared back at Quackity’s face, the expression wasn’t quite sad, maybe guilty would be a better description, but the vice president looked away as soon as they made eye contact. Near Quackity was Fudy, the tear streaks down his fur were clear, maybe he had loved his dad after all, but the bittersweet smile gave mixed signals, it was impossible to tell what emotion the fox-hybrid was feeling, either way, it was hard to look at. Tubbo finally looked back at the man in front of him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>George had known.</span>
  </em>
  <span> George had known, </span>
  <em>
    <span>he had known and didn’t tell him.</span>
  </em>
  <span> George’s mouth was moving but the words weren’t reaching Tubbo’s ears. </span>
  <span>Those four had taken everything he loved and ripped it apart in front of him. Wilbur was dead now, Gods knew if Tommy was okay, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>George fucking knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> before he had offered to help Tubbo. They had destroyed everything Tubbo cared about and now he was going to burn them to the </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking</span>
  </em>
  <span> ground. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>We had our first speech and debate tournament today and omg I forgot how tiring and looooong they are. </p>
<p>N e ways here this is. Wasn't as angsty as I planned but oh well there always more angsty scenes to be written...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Start of a New Hope</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Collect the Bi's, commit a crime</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Shout out to the one Eret stan in the comments and their barking comment I couldn't stop thinking about while writing this</p><p>Also, I think I'm going to start doing updates on Wednesday and Saturday for a bit because I feel like the Tommy Plot had been dragging out for so long and I realized that it would take so long to get to that and I don't want y'all to suffer too much, but after that, it will likely go back to just Saturday. As long as that's okay with y'all</p><p>(Also also just cause I thought it was funny the chapter description is what this chapter was titled in the google doc lol)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Eret sighed as he approached the bedroom door. Niki had locked herself in the room as soon as they’d gotten back to the palace from Manberg, she hadn’t spoken a word since they lost the Manbergian guards just past what used to be the city gates. The last time he had seen her the tears had dried but quiet the sobs emitting from behind the oak door told him that had since changed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Niki?” Eret asked, gently knocking on the door, “Niki, can I come in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was no response from the other so with a sigh he pushed open the door anyway, she could be mad at him later but it likely wasn’t good for her to be alone at the moment. Honestly, Eret had no idea how to handle any of this, he could barely process his own emotions, let alone help Niki with her’s. Once upon a time Wilbur had been his closest friend and to think he now had to live in a world without Wilbur just didn’t feel right. But Eret had given up that bond a year and a half ago, Niki hadn’t, it was taken from her instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room was dark, the curtains hadn’t been drawn that morning so the setting sun only barely peeked through the windows nor had any torches been lit in the hours since their return. It was near impossible to see anything at all through his sunglasses but he had set up all the bedrooms in the same way for that very reason. Eret cautiously made his way to the large bed that was against the back wall, hopefully still at the center of the wall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He felt around until his palm hit the bed frame, he lowered himself down onto the mattress after making sure he wouldn’t accidentally crush Niki. They stayed that way for a few moments in the silence before either one spoke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want Eret?” Niki asked, exhaustion and anguish coating her voice. She hadn’t sat up or even turned to face the king. Eret wasn’t sure if he was grateful for that or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to see how you were doing,” Eret explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How am I doing?! How do you think I’m doing?!” Niki shouted, shooting up to stare at him, her face a mix of grief and disbelief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not what I meant,” Eret said, the sudden shift in mood catching him off guard. Maybe a small part of him had entered the room hoping she wouldn’t be crying anymore but honestly, he preferred that to the anger. Niki wasn’t a person to get angry, he had seen it a grand total of three times but never had it been directed at him before, it was honestly terrifying, “I just--is there anything I can do?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you bring him back?” She asked, the anger dissipating in a second, the words coming out dull and detached. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gods he wishes he could. Wilbur had always been a beacon of hope for the citizens of L’Manberg. Well before he was president and even before he had been a general, back when they were just people messing around in the town. Wilbur had always been the first to offer help to anyone in need, whether that be assisting in building projects or singing for the town’s children. It was no surprise he had quickly become the leading general and even less of one that he had been nominated as president.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eret looked away from her for a second, it hurt to see her in such pain, “No, I can’t, I’m sorry,” He said as he looked back at Niki, truly apologetic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why did it have to be him, Eret? Out of everyone in all the worlds, why Wilbur?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niki sighed moving closer to Eret in order to rest her head on his shoulder, “Can we make him a grave? They won’t and he--he deserves a </span>
  <em>
    <span>nice</span>
  </em>
  <span> grave, don’t you think?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we can make him a nice headstone. Something pretty but simple, just like him,” Eret agreed. Wilbur probably wouldn’t have wanted a grave on SMP land, let alone at Eret’s castle, maybe if they ever got L’Manberg back they could move it there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we put up a sign? Just until the real one is finished,” Niki asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course we can. Want to do that now?” He reached out for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as they moved to stand up after she nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had unspokenly agreed to put the sign in the center garden, just outside the throne room. The wooden sign was nothing special but Niki had spent nearly an hour painting it to look nice. It was morbidly beautiful amongst the flowers and grass. She had painted various flowers around Wilbur’s name, if Eret remembered correctly they were Wilbur’s favorite flowers. Of course Niki would have such attention to details like that. They had found one of the original L’Manberg flags Eret still had from the war and draped it across the ground in front of the sign. He had meant to get rid of it but something had stopped him every time, it was the one occasion he was almost grateful for his guilty conscience, at least it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> Wilbur would have liked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should sing a song,” Niki said, standing back from the sign, leaving behind a small blue flower, effectively breaking the silence they had fallen into, each lost in their own thoughts and grief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What song did you have in mind?” Eret asked, clearing the thickness from his throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if you’ll like it,” Niki admitted, looking back at him. Eret raised an eyebrow in silent question, “It was mostly a joke and not the actual national anthem but we treated it like it was. He came up with it the day I reached L’Manberg actually.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, well, I’d love to hear it anyway,” Eret reassured her. Although, he couldn’t imagine why he wouldn’t like the song, the appreciative smile she gave him stopped any further question he may have had.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I heard there was a special place, where men could go and emancipate the brutality and the tyranny of their rulers….”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Eret hoped Tubbo was coping well. They could see him up on stage during Schlatt’s speech, it was hard to tell from such a distance how the kid had looked but it was clear he hadn't known what the announcement would be about. Last Eret had seen, George had been holding the teen upright. Eret didn’t know much about George, the war had ended pretty soon after he had turned his coat, which meant he hadn't spent much time around his new ‘allies’. But George was nice enough, much less intense than Dream and less aggressive than Sapnap which were low bars but still, it was something. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well, this place is real, you needn’t fret; with Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo, fuck Eret….”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The gab should have hurt, and considering the apologetic look Niki gave him, it was probably meant to but….it was such a Wilbur thing to do. Wilbur had always managed to somehow be so incredibly genuine and kind while also being incredibly petty and hotheaded. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s a very big and </span>
  </em>
  <span>not</span>
  <em>
    <span> blown up L’Manberg; It’s L’Manberg, My L’Manberg, It’s L’Manberg, It’s L’Manberg,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Niki sang, raising her hand in one final salute for their fallen president. Eret mirrored her action, Eret may have given the actual privilege up over a year ago but Wilbur would forever and always be his general, his president.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had stood in the garden for over an hour, saying their final goodbyes and telling stories. It wasn’t acceptance, not quite, but resignation. In a cruel show from the Gods, it had begun to rain and the last thing either of them needed was to catch an illness, so now here they sat, on the steps leading up to the throne.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eret looked over at Niki, taking in her appearance properly for the first time since they decided to make Wilbur’s makeshift grave. Although she definitely looked better than when she had first come to the castle, the bags beneath her eyes were hard to miss and it was clear she hadn’t stopped crying since the news of Wilbur’s death broke. But Niki was strong, it took a special kind of person to go through what she had and still be the caring individual she was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have an idea,” he said breaking the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? What is it?” Niki asked, looking at him as he stood up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, everything kinda sucks right now, and I know you’re sad, to put it lightly, and that’s valid but I think we deserve at least a little moment that isn’t stuck under a rain cloud, don’t you think?” Eret asked as he made his way over to the jukebox he’d placed next to the throne. It was a stupid idea and maybe not the most appropriate move all things considered but they both deserved a little break. Eret held his hand out to Niki once he made his way back, music beginning to fill the air, “Niki, may I have this dance?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niki stared at him for a second before a smile broke out across her face, “I would love to,” she said taking his hand.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled her closer, resting his head on top of hers while she rested her own against his chest as they began to sway to the music. It was nice. After he betrayed L’Manberg it only took a few months to realize he had made the biggest mistake of his life, the regret had been nearly instant but the gravity of his decision took much longer to brand itself on to his bones. To the people still loyal to Dream he was a former enemy who sold out for power he hadn’t earned, to the people of L’Manberg he was the traitor with no dignity. Although the people he now ruled over had grown to accept him, he missed his old friends. He didn’t have any of those anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niki was the first person since the control room that had taken the time to get to know him, it sucked that it took all this, but a selfish part of his mind was grateful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Niki? Can I ask you a question?” He asked hesitantly, after a few moments of silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Niki answered softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you hate me?” Eret asked bluntly. He wasn’t sure if asking her outright was the smart move but after the amount of time they’d spent together over the past week he was confident that she didn’t hate him, or at least not anymore. It was the ‘why’ he didn’t understand, sure she hadn’t had any other options to turn to but you didn’t agree to slow dance with someone you were only using to survive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” She breathed out, slightly pulling away in order to make eye contact with him, “That’s easy, you’re a good person, Eret,” Niki said with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m really not, Niki,” He didn’t understand. She said it like it was one of the most simple concepts ever but it couldn’t be farther from the truth. After everything he’d done, to the people who used to love him, just for a crown….he was a bad guy but even more so a bad person. L’Manberg’s history may see the Dream Team as the villains, but he was worse than them, they never swore undying loyalty to the cause. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, fine,” She sighed, fully pulling away from him in order to place her hands on her hips, “Yes, what you did was inexcusable. You betrayed the people who saw you as a family for a fancy title and a big home, and that was horrible. But, let me ask you this, Eret, do you regret it?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” He answered without hesitation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you’re now doing everything in your power to protect those people from Schlatt. You’re making up for what you did, Eret. You messed up but you’re past mistakes don’t define you, unless they become a pattern. That isn’t you. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You are kind,</span>
  </em>
  <span> you just need to realize that too,” Niki concluded with a soft smile. She reached out and grabbed one of his hands, giving it a reassuring squeeze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at her with wide eyes before using their combined hands to pull her into a hug. He didn’t know what he had done for the Gods to allow someone like Niki to care for him but he would thank them every day. Eret wouldn’t say he believed all she was saying but he had needed to hear those words more than anything in the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s kinda right ya know,” A new voice said. The duo quickly pulled apart, drawing their weapons in one move, ready for whoever it might be. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” Niki said, stepping in front of Eret, despite him trying to pull her back, “Tubbo?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please don’t shoot!” Now that Niki said it the voice was in mistakably the smaller teen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We won’t,” Eret promised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you guys, but it seemed like you were having a moment,” Tubbo said apologetically, stepping out from behind one of the castle pillars. He wasn’t wearing the suit he was normally seen wearing since Schlatt rose to power, instead, he was wearing his old green button-up, the one he had worn before the war. The buttons were still messed up, in usual Tubbo fashion, and just like Niki, it was clear he hadn’t stopped crying. His eyes were puffy and red but it wasn’t sadness behind them, instead, there was a fire, burning bright with an anger Eret had never seen before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tubbo,” Niki said again, seemingly unable to form any other response. She rushed forward, dropping her sword to the ground, and threw her arms around him. The throne room was quiet for a minute, the reunited friends taking a moment to wallow in their shared grief, the only sounds were the quiet sniffles as the record ended.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo slowly pulled away from Niki’s embrace, but he stayed close enough for her to keep her arm over his shoulder, “I did mean it, though,” Tubbo said, looking back at Eret.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry?” Eret asked, not quite understanding what Tubbo was referencing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When I walked in, Niki was saying that you were a good person, I was saying I agree.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, “Tubbo….” Eret tried unable to come up with words. Tubbo shouldn’t be saying that, Tubbo was probably one of the people he had hurt the most.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s true!” Tubbo pressed on, “I mean besides Niki you were the first person to stand up to Schlatt for L’Manberg and I know you’ve been helping the people trying to escape Manberg even though that could put you at risk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyone would do that,” Eret tried, looking between the two in front of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not really,” Tubbo said flippantly. Besides him, Niki was smirking at Eret all too happy with the turn of events. It was nice to see her smile again, he wanted to argue but if it took this to make her smile like that then he would let it go, just this once. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not to be rude, Tubbo, but what exactly are you doing here?” Eret asked, trying to change the subject but also genuinely confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You aren’t off the hook,” Niki said, pointing a finger at the king, “But I’m confused too. I wouldn’t think they’d let you out of L’Manberg,” She said, turning back to face Tubbo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They don’t but I sneak out most nights anyway, no one really cares after midnight,” Tubbo explained, “I didn’t want to be alone….” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh Tubbo,” Niki whispered, moving her hand to gently run it through his brown hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can stay as long as you’d like, you’re always welcomed,” Eret offered. Odds were it wouldn’t be taken up very often but it was important to him that Tubbo knew, especially now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, good, it would have been really awkward if I wasn’t,” Tubbo joked, causing the other two to laugh, maybe a bit too loudly. It wasn’t a particularly funny joke but it’d been </span>
  <em>
    <span>so long</span>
  </em>
  <span> since any of them had felt comfortable enough, let alone happy enough to joke around. But the moment of silence that followed was a cruel reminder that things still weren’t good enough for that brief joy to last.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are you feeling Tubbo?” Niki asked, the smile fading from her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The brunet sighed, wrapping his arms around himself, “I don’t know. I want to scream and cry and completely break down, you know? It all feels so hopeless, I mean look at us. The hero’s best friend, the baker, and the former traitor, what are we supposed to do? Wilbur….he--he’s gone and Gods know where Tommy is if he’s even still….out there,” Tubbo explained, a pained look contorting his face, “But more than anything, I’m fucking pissed. I’m pissed and I want to make them feel just a fraction of the shit they’re dragging us through. They stole my family, my friends, my country, my happiness and what do they have? Power, everything they’ve ever wanted! Where is the justice in that?! There isn’t any! Why did it have to be us? Just when everything was finally good again!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo had begun pacing back and forth. A small part of Eret wanted to reach out to try and calm the teen but it was clear Tubbo hadn’t gotten to talk about how he was feeling with anyone else. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There has to be something we can do, Tubbo, you can’t give up now. Maybe we’re not former generals but we all fought in the war, we aren’t helpless,” Niki said softly, moving to stand next to the taller man, giving Tubbo more space to move around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Tubbo said, turning back to face the two adults, the fire from before returning to his eyes in full force, “I know we aren’t. Wilbur once told me that honor was what separated the good from the cruel, but Wilbur is dead and I want them to hurt. I want them to understand what this pain feels like, even if that means playing a little dirty,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tubbo, what are you trying to say?” Eret asked. The train of thought was understandable but there were lines they couldn’t cross.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to kill the president and all his little goons. George, Quackity, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fundy,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Tubbo said bluntly, “I don’t know how but I don’t want to just sit back while they go unchecked. Wilbur is dead and Tommy is missing, at best, those people need someone else to find hope in. We’re all that’s left, I am not letting them down any longer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would take a while to come up with a solid plan, think you can last until then?” Niki asked. Tubbo nodded back at her, “We could do it….”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The pair looked back at Eret, waiting for his answer. Gods, how could he say no to them when they were both giving him puppy eyes, “Fine. But I’m not sure how much I can do. I’m still the king of this land, I have my own people to look out for and Schlatt has implied more than once he wouldn’t hesitate to go to war.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you’d be willing to help?” Tubbo asked in a hopeful voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Eret answered. He wouldn’t mess it up this time. He’d make up for his past, even if Wilbur was no longer around to forgive him. Tubbo and Niki were smiling again, they were trusting him and there was no force in all the worlds that could make him let those two down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For Wilbur and Tommy,” Niki said, throwing one arm around Tubbo’s shoulders and the other around Eret’s waist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For Wilbur and Tommy,” Eret and Tubbo said at the same time. Eret pulled them into a group hug. They could do this, they </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> to do this. For every citizen trapped under Schlatt, for every soul they’d lost, for every broken promise, and for themselves. JSchlatt was going to pay.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>My friend asked to read this and I want to combust because I have ~anxiety~ and now I'm not sure if this is good or not ahh ;-; She had to want to read the one where I'm trying new things</p><p>Also I wanted to include my hc for why Eret has the blank eyes and wears the sunglasses but it didn't fit :(<br/>Maybe once this is done I can make a series for all the characters backstories and stuff...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Trepidation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A small moment between Dream and Wilbur</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Everything is sad so have something light-hearted, as a treat. There is absolutely no misdirecting here :D</p><p>Dream/Wilbur POV</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Wilbur, you shouldn’t be moving around yet, you’re still weak,” Dream sighed, it was like herding a toddler. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After George had gotten home the night before, looking far worse for the wear, he had wanted to go straight to bed after checking in on Wilbur. But if the threats that Dream and Sapnap were able to hear from the downstairs was anything to go off of Wilbur had been doing something he wasn’t supposed to. George had briefly explained the whole magic healing to the other two but, apparently, not even that was enough to save Wilbur from George’s wrath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sapnap and Dream had decided to go save their guest by bringing dinner up before the threats could become more than that. The night had been nice, for the first time it had felt like they were truly allies, maybe even friends. But right about now Dream was regretting not letting George strangle the brit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, Dream. If I took a break every time I got stabbed I’d never get anything done!” Wilbur called behind him, both hands clutching the handrail tightly as he slowly made his way down the stairs. Objectively he knew Dream was probably right but he’d been in bed for at least four days already and he needed to </span>
  <em>
    <span>move</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Tommy was somewhere out in the wilderness on his own while Wilbur was laying around and that just wasn’t sitting right with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could hear the frustrated sigh coming from the blond, “I swear to everything Wilbur, if you pull your stitches I will not help and I will ban Sapnap and George from helping too,” Dream threatened. He knew Wilbur wasn’t going back to bed, he had done nothing but try to escape and complain about not being able to leave. Tommy was still missing, Dream couldn’t imagine what that was doing to the other, but Wilbur needed to take care of himself before he could save Tommy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dream, you act like I don’t know how to stitch up myself, I don’t need you three,” Wilbur pointed out, just a hint of mischief in his voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe so, but can you make health potions?” Dream asked, already knowing the answer. He’d been to L’Manberg before, during, and after the war, they may have had a few brewing stands but not nearly enough for it to be a common skill amongst the citizens. There was a slim chance Wilbur knew how based on that alone, but Dream had also seen Pogtopia and it was safe to say that the residents weren’t making any potions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you?” Wilbur challenged, stopping on the steps for a second. He hoped it looked like he was acting defiant to try and annoy Dream when in reality the world around him had begun to spin as black dots danced across the edges of his vision, but he would rather fall down the rest of the stairs than give Dream the satisfaction of saying ‘told you so.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dream was about to respond before he noticed the way Wilbur was swaying, if they didn't get off the stairs soon Wilbur was probably going to collapse. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If only someone had warned him that moving too soon would end this way.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Dream let out another sigh, “If you’re gonna act like a child, I’m going to treat you like a child.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wilbur tilted his head to the side, confusion clear on his face, “What the fuck does that even--” He let out a small shout as Dream picked him up and threw Wilbur over his shoulder, effectively cutting off his question. Maybe it was childish but like he had said, Wilbur deserved it, really. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dream set the other man back on his feet once they finally reached the kitchen area at the bottom of the stairs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck was that?!” Wilbur stage-whispered, staring at the man in the green hoodie in utter disbelief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Act like a child, get treated like a child, Wilbur,” Dream repeated smugly. He let out a full laugh as the brunet hit his arm, unable to form a proper response before he stormed away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was almost too easy to pretend like nothing had happened between them, like the past two years were just a weird dream. Like they were still friends, back before the wars. Dream loved George and Sap but he’d still missed Wilbur, fighting against him in the war had hurt more than he had expected. It was honestly a relief that Wilbur didn’t seem to hate him anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, I’m going to have to tell George about this right?” Dream asked as he walked over to where Wilbur had sat down. Wilbur had learned the hard way that Dream hadn’t been joking that the Dream Team’s designated healer was scary when he wanted to be. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’re going to admit to him that you allowed me to not only get out of bed and walk down over half the steps on my own but also threw me over your shoulder like a fucking sack of potatoes when I’m still injured?” Wilbur asked instead of answering, raising an eyebrow at the masked man. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh come on, you’ve got your dad’s magic or whatever going on, you’ll be fine,” Dream dismissed. He would sooner die than admit that the implied threat was actually terrifying. Maybe he should feel a bit worse about potentially injuring Wilbur further but it was either that or let him fall down the steps, so Dream wasn’t going to beat himself up about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think George will care?” Wilbur countered with a smirk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough, Mr. President, guess it’ll have to be our secret then,” He said, wheezing at the eye roll the nickname got him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wilbur reached over to pull the mask over the rest of the others face entirely, “Gods, I hate you,” He said, his own laugh giving him away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The comfortable silence they fell into was shortly broken as the front door was slammed open, revealing a distraught looking George and Sapnap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck,” Sapnap sighed.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A shorter chapter but oh well</p><p>The next chapter will for /sure/ make up for it ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Secrets Revealed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hey where's Tommy?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>:) don't kill me :)</p>
<p>(Also to clarify this takes place on the same day so the last chapter)</p>
<p>George POV</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>~ Earlier that day ~</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>George didn’t care much about Manbergian politics. When Quackity came to him asking if George wanted to be his running mate it was mostly as a joke. While Quackity had legitimate plans and hopes, they both were well aware that they had little to no chance of winning the election, Soot and Innit were basically guaranteed the win. That’s why he hadn’t bothered to wake up for the election results, once it was official that Soot won he’d go back to being unwelcome in L’Manberg. Though he wasn’t outright banned from the nation, he was still one of the people who fought against its creation, there was an implied agreement the Dream Team wouldn’t step a foot into the land. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So when Quackity combined with Schlatt to steal the election, he had been just as surprised as everyone else. Now, here he stood as President Schlatt’s second Vice President and Secretary of Defence. He hadn’t wanted the position but like a few others on Schlatt’s staff, he hadn’t been asked, he had been told. Everyone had learned quickly that you didn’t question Schlatt. He mostly presented himself as care-free and light-hearted but everyone knew once he was questioned it was a complete one-eighty. Questions meant one-on-one meetings, and interrogations, and being followed for the next week, at the very least. So George played along. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His loyalty really only laid with the Dream Team members, maybe a small group of other people too but not many. Dream had asked him to continue on with the job, as long as George was safe. If Dream hadn’t asked him to do so George would spend his days goofing off with Sap and Karl, maybe helping Sam with the home he was building or Antfrost with the animal sanctuary, </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span> but politics. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“George Not Found! How is my Secretary of Defence today?” Schlatt’s loud voice cut through the brit’s musings. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>George tried to suppress his eye roll, actually having to talk to the president may be his least favorite part of his job, “Hello President Schlatt, how are you today?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve been positively radiant these past few days. Do you know why I’ve been so happy, George?” Schlatt asked, throwing an arm around the other's shoulder. Something about his tone made Geroge’s skin crawl, he knew he wasn’t going to like the answer very much, “Well, besides that one degenerate being dead, the answer is </span>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <span>new assignment!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>George looked at the man confused, he had been given new tasks just the other day, “Another one?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, I know! ‘Schlatt,’ you say, ‘you just gave me new assignments, what the fuck?’ Well, I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear but all those have been reassigned to Big Q, this will be your only task,” The goat-hybrid said, smiling at the human. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really? The only one?” George asked skeptically. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, really! And it doesn’t have any paperwork,” Schlatt promised, “Let’s just say this will be </span>
  <em>
    <span>completely</span>
  </em>
  <span> off the books.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Walk with me to my office will you?” Schlatt asked. George nodded silently as Schlatt began to move, not taking his arm off of George’s shoulders. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The walk to the Presidential Office wasn’t a long one but it had felt like an eternity, one thought crossed through his mind, ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Schlatt knows</span>
  </em>
  <span>’. Schlatt wasn’t an idiot, despite the act he put on, George had no doubt Schlatt was aware he held more loyalty to Dream than Manberg and simply didn’t care, as long as George got the work done. But if Schlatt knew that Dream had given aid to Pogtopia, despite claiming to be neutral, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill George. It didn’t matter that they could come back, Schlatt had made them all set their respawn point to Manberg while they were in the building, he could kill him over and over again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t until they reached the office door and Schlatt removed his arm that George felt like he could breathe for the first time since Schlatt began talking to him. “Now George, I have it in writing for you so this never is repeated aloud,” Schlatt told him, voice low, as he pulled out a piece of paper, “But you know why I chose you as Secretary of Defence, don’t you?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I assumed it was because I have experience fighting in a war against...those who had been banished, correct?” George asked. If Schlatt knew he was keeping Wilbur safe and very much so alive, he would do much worse than kill him repeatedly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That is exactly right, George! And you also know that Wilbur Soot was permanently killed in the fight with Ponk and Punz? And that Tommy Innit is believed to be on the run?” Schlatt asked, voice still low. If he had stopped at the first question George would be terrified but he didn’t know anything about Tommy. Wilbur said he last saw Tommy before he had passed out and the Team hadn’t found the kid’s body. He was truly in the dark as far as Tommy went. Though, whether Schlatt cared or not was a whole other matter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The horned man waited for the other to nod before he continued, “Well, what if I told you that he wasn’t on the run?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That caused George to pause. Although he didn’t have any particular fondness for Tommy, he hadn’t wanted him to die. He was just a kid, with a whole life ahead of him. Gods, he was going to have to tell Wilbur, that was going to suck, they’d just begun to all get along.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” He asked, he wasn’t going to tell Wilbur his one companion was dead based on an assumption. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Open the notice, George,” Schlatt said in lieu of an answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>George looked at his boss for a second longer. He didn’t understand why he wouldn’t just say but decided against saying anything. Instead, he looked down at the piece of paper he had been handed, he slowly unsealed and opened the notice, dread solidifying itself in the pit of his stomach. Nothing could have prepared for the bold letters at the top of the page. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>In one week’s time, Tommy Innit is to be publicly executed for his crimes against the nation.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy was alive. Shit.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>:D how we feeling? :D</p>
<p>Nah but seriously I hope the wait was worth it and thanks to everyone who stuck around to see it, based on comments and bookmarks people were getting desperate for the Tommy reveal LMAO</p>
<p>Also one person a few chapters ago guessed it, so kudos to them!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Sinking Understanding</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The timeline catches up and we learn more about Tommy</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I think this may be the finale with the twice-weekly updates, so it'll go back to just Saturday. I just wanted to speed up the Tommy reveal a bit! </p><p>POV George</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Schlatt wants him to, essentially, torture a child. Tommy Innit was alive, in the building, and Schlatt wanted him to “knock him down a peg” and “do whatever is needed to get information from him.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>George had opened the notice nearly four hours ago at this point but he still couldn’t process what he was being asked to do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he read the execution notice he’d left dread, it wasn’t until he made it back to his office and read the rest that he felt sick. Sure, he’d never been the biggest fan of the kid but he was entertaining, he had a good fighting spirit, and he’d managed to maintain that kid wonder all throughout the war. Tommy was a good kid, despite being the world's resident pain in the ass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t even made it out of the cave before Ponk and Punz had gotten to him. According to Punz’s report, Tommy had tried to take on the duo all on his own. Tommy never stood a chance against the two adults, Punz was an incredible fighter and Ponk was known for the tricks he always had up his sleeve. That also meant that Tommy had likely seen what had happened to Wilbur, if George had to bet that’s why Tommy had tried to lash out. Gods, the poor kid. He had definitely seen the aftermath at least, the report said the pair found him sobbing over Wilbur’s body when they returned from breaking the respawn point. Tommy might not even be aware that Wilbur was alive, George had thought he was dead when the trio first found him, add that with Schlatt’s announcement of Wilbur being killed….There was no telling what the kid believed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sap had made the mistake of asking Wilbur about him the night before, or maybe it had been on purpose, he could never tell with Sapnap. The way Wilbur had talked about the teen made it clear that the older man held Tommy in high admiration. He went on and on about all their little jokes and wild stories, he told them about how out of everyone he was glad it’s Tommy he got banished with. That Wilbur believed Tommy was a future president in the making. They had learned of whole new sides of their once opponents that they’d likely never get the chance to see themselves, and they seemed </span>
  <em>
    <span>nice</span>
  </em>
  <span>, like in another timeline they all could have been friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And now here George sat, tasked with interrogating, hurting, and killing that kid. He couldn’t do it. There was no way. Schlatt had been manipulative and cruel but this was crossing a line, this was just evil. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gods, Tubbo refused to even look him in the eyes, he refused to look at anyone in the eyes, if the kid found out that Schlatt had tasked him with this, he’d never trust George. It was too risky to let the kid know Wilbur was still alive, not only would Tubbo’s life be put at greater risk but so would everyone else's. It weirdly hurt, the fiery hatred he could see radiating off the small boy. Life had gotten a million times more complicated over the past few days.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George sighed, standing up. He needed to get out of here, the walls began to feel as though they were caving in, suffocating him. He had no work to be done, not today. He made quick work of getting out of the White House, making sure not to run into anyone else. George didn’t stop until he made it outside, he paused just before the front steps, pulling loose the blue tie around his neck. He needed to tell someone about this quickly, Wilbur would no doubt explode if George told him right now and there’s a possibility Dream would tell their guest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Crap,” He hissed as he pulled out his whisper device, Sapnap was the only person he could possibly tell. He had no idea where the pyromaniac was but he better get to George soon. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Omw, by hot dog van. See ya soon &lt;3</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Came Sap’s reply. Sapnap was in a good mood, great. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Much like George himself, Sap hadn’t any strong affection towards Tommy or Wilbur, he was just going along with Dream. But Sap accepted their new roles a lot quicker than his friend because unlike George, Sapnap hadn’t been given a job, he didn’t have to worry about the potential consequences of their actions beyond maybe a fight. With an exception to Karl, Sapnap had nothing truly to lose from going against the psychotic dictator.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Sap had asked questions, he wanted to know the people behind L’Manberg. George didn’t understand why, once the whole Schlatt business was done they'd likely just go back to never talking, so there was no friendship to be made. Dream had said no more wars if they could help it, too, so there wasn’t even a strategic play to it. Sapnap was simply curious. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“George!” A loud voice called out, drawing his attention to the approaching figure of his friend, “You look like shit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George rolled his eyes, Sap was never one for pleasantries, “Hey,” he said, trying his best to appear casual.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Based on the look over Sap was giving him, it hadn’t worked. “What’s going on with you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” George said as he pulled his friend down the steps. They couldn’t just stand around, that’d be too suspicious. He pulled out the whisper device once again after they were a good bit away from anyone else, ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Schlatt gave me a new assignment. It’s bad. We can’t talk about it here. We’ll talk in the forest by the base. Act natural.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Shit,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>was the only response he got in return. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked in silence until they were deep into the woods, far away from Manberg but still a good distance from the Dream Team home, just in case Dream was out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on, George?” Sapnap asked, breaking the quiet first. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>George let out a deep sigh, running a hand through his hair, “I didn’t get why they were so up-in-arms about Schlatt being elected. Sure, he can be a dick and banishing Wilbur and Tommy was a stupid move but they </span>
  <em>
    <span>hated</span>
  </em>
  <span> him. But I get it now, I do,” He began instead of answering, maybe some stalling was involved but who could blame him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“George?” Sapnap asked again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tommy’s alive, Sap, but not for long. He’s going to be publicly executed in a week, at that party to celebrate Wilbur being murdered. Schlatt wants me to get as much information out of him as possible before then, by any means necessary,” George explained, judging by the look that passed across the others' faces, Sap understood exactly what he had meant by that, “Sap he’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>kid,</span>
  </em>
  <span> I can’t but if I don’t our cover is blown and we all pay the price.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sap sighed, looking off towards the side, thinking over what he’s just been told, “We have to at least tell Dream. I mean, between the three of us we can come up with something, it might not be smart to let Wilbur know before we have a rescue plan.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly what I was thinking but what if Dream tells him?” George asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then that’s what Dream thinks is best. Yeah, Wilbur is in an incredibly vulnerable spot and this might be a breaking point but he isn’t an idiot. He wouldn’t do anything that could possibly harm Tommy anymore,” Sapnap reasoned, looking back at his friend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>George glanced back in the direction of their base, “Okay, fine. We tell Dream and see what he thinks about all this. But Sap, if it comes down to it, I’m protecting you two before Tommy or Wilbur.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, okay, that’s fair,” Sapnap sighed, “Let’s go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked the rest of the way in haunted silence. Who knows what would happen when they reached their home. If they were lucky Wilbur would actually be in bed like he was supposed to be, but the odds weren’t in their favor based on the past few days. If Wilbur was with Dream he’s too suspicious of Sap and George to willingly leave if he was told he had to. George sent a silent prayer to the Gods that for once Wilbur and Dream had listened to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they reached the porch George reached out to stop Sapnap from opening the front door, “Before we go in, Wilbur only finds out if Dream tells him, not us, okay? He should be upstairs, so hopefully, we don’t even see him but </span>
  <em>
    <span>do not involve him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got it, George,” Sap said, rolling his eyes. He understood why the brit was being so paranoid, if he was the one who got the job Sap was sure he’d be going insane with stress but the odds of Wilbur being downstairs with Dream were slim. Wilbur had been instructed to stay upstairs in bed and Dream was in charge of making sure that happened. Although their guest had proven more difficult than even Sapnap when it came to bed rest, no way would Dream have let him stumble his way down the stairs and there’s absolutely no way Wilbur could have done it without injuring himself more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George gave the pyro one last warning glance before he removed the hand stopping the other. Sapnap mouthed a thank you as he pushed open the door, maybe with a little more force than necessary. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There on the other side of the door, sitting at the kitchen table was Dream, right next to a smiling Wilbur.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck,” Sapnap sighed.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I forgot to talk about it in the last chapter's endnotes but OMG the season finale was everything! Like Wilbur's storytelling is really impressive and Techno's improv continues to be unmatched, PHILZA MINECRAFT? we love to see it</p><p>Also.......Sapnap, Karl, and Big Q poly-marriage? Not the plot I wanted but the plot I needed</p><p>Also, also, I just wanted to say that I have a very complex idea of character relationships and how they all know each other and such so like.....all of this hurts more than y'all know and I am cursed to suffer alone ;-;</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Plans Gone Haywire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Dream Team plans what to do next, but it doesn't go as planned</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Long chapter? Long chapter! </p><p>I think I'm going to try and make chapters a bit longer from now on! But we'll see!</p><p>Also, I just feel like telling y'all but I spend like an hour every time trying to come up with chapter titles, like why is it so weirdly hard??</p><p>Dream/Wilbur POV</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Good to see you too, I guess,” Dream said as the silence between the two pairs dragged on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you two alright?” Wilbur asked. Sapnap and George had burst into the home a few minutes ago but had yet to say a word. He had expected George to start lecturing him about being downstairs but not even that had happened. They’d had a debate over whether or not he was ready for physical therapy that very morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” George asked, seeming to snap out of whatever daze he had been in, “Uh, yeah! We’re fine, great really, what have you two been doing?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, we haven’t been up to much,” Wilbur lied, smiling over at the masked man beside him. George’s answer was clearly false but Wilbur wasn’t looking to push his luck, if George wasn’t going to hit him outside the head again then that's fine by him. Pushing a subject the other clearly didn’t want to talk about wouldn’t help keep it that way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we’ve just been talking, really. Will said he felt up to walking around so we tried that out but I kept a close eye on him,” Dream added with an easy smile of his own, moving the porcelain mask back up above his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was still weird to hear Dream call him Will again, so casually. He had said it a few times when they would have confrontations over the war but it always had a taunting undertone to it, anytime they had spoken after that had been in order to sign and negotiate treaties which required a professional dialect. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was nice. Wilbur had still been mad at Dream after their falling out, it was that petty anger that played a factor in his decision to fight for L’Manberg but there had been nights where he missed their late night talks and little inside jokes during the revolution. Never would he have guessed there would come a time when that nostalgic past looked to be a possible future. Maybe things would get better after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t trust either one of you, just to be clear,” George said, eyeing the pair as he finally stepped into the home and approached the dining table, “But whatever, neither one of you is dead, which is better than what I was expecting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh hey, Dream, George, can I talk to you two? Upstairs?” Sapnap asked, voice a little higher than usual.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, sure,” Dream agreed, a little confused, “Wilbur, please for the love of the Gods, stay put.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll try,” Wilbur teased, trying to lessen the sudden tension that filled the room. Something was wrong, something that the others didn’t want him to know about. There was no reason for them to talk upstairs instead of in the kitchen, since he had woken up the trio had made no effort to hide any of their conversions, even when Wilbur wished they had. Something was </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> wrong. </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“What’s going on?” Dream asked as soon as Sapnap closed the door behind himself. It was clear from the second Sapnap had opened the front door that something happened. The less than subtle request to get away from Wilbur was the last bit of proof that whatever it was, it was bad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s about Tommy,” George said, cutting straight to the point. His usually neat brown hair was sticking out in nearly every direction, it was clear he had been running his hand through it for Gods knows how long. George always valued composure above most things when it came to his professional life but the loose tie and jostled hair were the complete opposite of the image he always presented to the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about Tommy?” Dream asked, steel seeping into his voice. A million different scenarios flashed across his mind, each one worse than the previous. George had gotten home earlier than he should have, Sapnap only left two hours ago to meet up with Karl, neither one should be home and yet they were, both looking more stressed than they should.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He isn’t on the run.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“George--” Dream warned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Schlatt has him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That caused the masked man to pause. It made sense. There was no proof that Tommy had gotten out of the ravine, they’d just wanted to believe it. It made far more sense that he had been taken, Punz and Ponk were very competent fighters, a two v. one would be nothing but a work out to them, “Where?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Somewhere in the White House,” George answered, handing over a folded document, “The jailhouse filled up so fast he hired some people to build an underground holding area in the White House itself, only told me and Quackity what it was for; everyone else thinks it's just a basement.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dream quickly read through the notice as George explained the newest addition to the government building before handing it over to Sapnap, “He says he wants you to get information from Tommy, what info could he give that, say, Tubbo couldn’t?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, after Schlatt was elected he started referring to himself as the ‘emperor’ of Manberg. Fairly, people thought their democracy was at risk, some took it upon themselves to ensure that at least some bits of it were preserved,” George began explaining, “They stole the Declaration of Independence, the Declaration of Indepen</span>
  <em>
    <span>dance</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and few other documents Wilbur’s cabinet made to keep a check on power, the only legal things that could justify people questioning him.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why does he think Tommy has them?” Sapnap asked, looking up from the document.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He doesn’t. It’s an excuse, but he thinks that when Tommy is executed at the festival for ‘stealing national legislation’ whoever </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> do it will give them back,” George elaborated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Schlatt doesn’t strike me as a guy that would care about legality,” Dream pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He isn’t,” George agreed, exasperation seeping into his words, “But he does love to make things easier for himself. Most average citizens never took the time to read through those documents, they never had a reason too, until Schlatt. If he had those documents he can make sure no else can read them, they’d be more in the dark as far as whether or not he’s abusing his powers.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s pretty clear without some papers explaining things that he’s abusing his power.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s an intimidation tactic more than anything,” George said, a small trace of annoyance lacing his words, “Look, I don’t pretend to understand half the things Schlatt wants, if I had to bet, those documents are more a symbol of hope. That’s one consistent thing with Schlatt, he loves to crush people’s hope.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell are we supposed to do?” Sapnap asked, looking between his two friends. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence filled the room as the trio thought over the potential options they could take. There weren't many, all things considered, “We have to tell Wilbur,” Dream said at last.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George and Sapnap shared a look before the former sighed, “We were thinking the opposite, actually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why? It’d be far worse if he finds out on his own,” Dream argued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Sapnap agreed, passing the notice back to George “But it’s also Wilbur. The first thing he did after waking up was trying to escape, and then he did it again, and again, all for the same reason; to find Tommy. No fucking way he doesn’t flip his shit.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span> “I don’t know….He has to find out eventually,” Dream said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We aren’t saying we don’t tell him, just not yet,” George said, catching the hesitation in the other’s voice, “Not until we have a solid rescue plan at least.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine, fine, for now, that’s probably the smartest move,” Dream conceded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great, now we just need a rescue plan,” Sapnap said as the silence settled in around them once again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe we can get Eret to help?” George suggested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And have him do what?” Dream asked. Eret was a relatively strong ally to have but Schlatt had made his disdain for the monarch no secret, and vice versa. On top of that, he’d grown into his role as king since he earned the title, he cared for the people he ruled over, odds were Eret wouldn’t go for a plan that could potentially bring harm to his citizens. Schlatt himself had said he was ready for a second war to start.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The day of the festival, maybe he can get Schlatt into a meeting or something? Long enough for us to get Tommy out,” George proposed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dream thought about it, there was a chance it could work, “Maybe, have you seen Tommy yet?” He waited for George to shake his head before he continued, “You should see what state he’s in before we can plan the actual escape, we need to know what state he’s in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I left early, I can go back and check in on him today?” George said though it was more of a question. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Dream answered, shaking his head slightly, “You left early and you hate your job, it’d be weird for you to go back unprovoked.” He didn’t like it, there was a voice screaming at him to just get the kid out as fast as possible but they had to play it safe. As much as he hated it, they had to leave Tommy alone for a bit longer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go first thing tomorrow. I’ll have to stay the whole day most likely but I’ll see what I can do for him,” George said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A stiff silence filled the heavy air in the room. They’d been in far more tense situations but for once they weren’t the ones whose lives were at stake. It should make things easier but instead, it almost did the opposite. Dream knew he could handle himself, and he knew that George and Sap were more than capable on their own; Tommy and Wilbur were different stories. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Although they’d managed their own during the war and survived the banishment, Wilbur had nearly been killed just a few days ago and Tommy was being held hostage. Neither one was in a position to be pushed to their limits. That wasn’t even taking into consideration the rest of the nation. To a certain extent, it felt as though the fate of the nation rested on them until the former presidents were good again, which wasn’t a feeling Dream was used to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yes, he had been in charge of the SMP territory before Eret, but there had never been a time when he felt as though he was their protector. He was a far more hands-off ruler than Eret, the people were self-sufficient and there hadn’t been any other nations to worry about. That had changed since he passed on his rule which was probably why his sucessor acted far more hands-on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only other times he felt partially responsible for other people's lives was during adventures with his friends, but even then they were all capable of handling themselves. They weren’t heroes, </span>
  <em>
    <span>he wasn’t a hero, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but the heroes needed them, whether they liked it or not.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Wilbur greeted as the three finally made their way back down into the kitchen, “Is everything okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry,” George said, making his way towards the cupboards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Badboyhalo asked about a manhunt we wanted to do next week, we were just figuring out what to tell him to get out of it,” Dream explained as he sat back down at the table. That was a fair enough reason, Wilbur supposed, it didn’t explain why George and Sapnap had been so worked up when they got to the house, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I don’t know if you’ve ever met Bad but he’s super clingy,” Sapnap added, taking one of the other seats at the table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t help that Skeppy, his best friend, is doing some off-world business,” George said from where he was making what looked like tea, “When those are apart Bad tries to fill the hole with us which was why we were stressed about it. Nobody is happy when Bad is sad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, well I hope you all figured something out,” Wilbur said, “Sorry about your plans being ruined, by the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Another friend of ours is working on an animal sanctuary which got him all excited. And don’t worry, there’ll be more time later for manhunts when we’re done with Schlatt,” Dream reassured him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something still felt off. The story seemed likely, he hadn’t met Bad many times before but each time he had come across as the type to do something like that. Maybe he was being paranoid, learning to trust the Dream Team was certainly a learning curve but they hadn’t given him any reason to doubt their sincerity. Trust was a two-way street; if he wanted them to trust him, then he needed to trust them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any word about Tommy? In L’Manberg?” Wilbur asked</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The shift in the room was instant. It felt as though the temperature dropped, the air became stiff and suffocating as time paused for a second, the others movement’s along with it. It was only a moment of hesitation before they carried on as if nothing happened but it was just long enough for Wilbur to notice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, sorry,” George said. His tone was close to natural but there was a slight strain on the first word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wilbur narrowed his eyes at the other brit, suspicion laced his words, “Are you sure about that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I’m sure,” George said, refusing to face the other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why won’t you look at me?” Wilbur demanded. He turned to look at the other two people in the room but neither one was looking back at him, “Why won’t any of you look at me? Did something happen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dread began to fill his stomach as Dream let out a deep sigh, “Wilbur, there’s just some other things going on—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then tell me! If it has to do with Tommy then I deserve to know!” Wilbur exclaimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing is for certain, we’d tell you if we had all the information,” Dream said with barely restrained frustration.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! No, that isn’t how this is working, if you have anything about Tommy you tell me!” Wilbur argued back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George sighed stepping towards the table, raising his hands slightly “Wilbur, you need to calm down before you hurt yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, fuck you! Until someone tells me what's happening I’m not doing shit!” Wilbur yelled, flipping around to give the man in glasses an incredulous look.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wilbur—”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Dream began again before he was cut off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have a little sister don’t you?” Wilbur asked, looking back at the masked man next to him, pushing all the anguish he felt into the words. Since the day Tommy had entered his life, Wilbur swore to every God he would keep the kid safe. His one goal, throughout everything, was to make sure Tommy made it, no matter the cost. If something happened to his little brother, he deserved to know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence that followed the question was deafening, It was impossible to tell what the other was thinking behind the mask, “Wilbur…” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Please,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Wilbur begged. He needed to know, no matter how bad it was, he needed to know what happened to his baby brother. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gods Phil was going to hate him. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The masked man sighed again before turning towards George, “Give him the notice,” He instructed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dream—“ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“George. He needs to see it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wilbur turned back around to look at the man in the suit. He watched as George sighed, slowly pulling a folded piece of paper from his suit pocket. He held out the paper, “I’m sorry,” He said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wilbur stared at the paper for a second before he reached out to take it. His hands shook as he held it, whatever was on the paper was enough to make the others lie to him, to make George apologize. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The worst scenarios flashed across his mind before he could stop them. Schlatt was cruel but Ponk and Punz….they wouldn’t have made him suffer, would they? Ponk had given him an almost quick near death and Punz didn’t seem like the type to mess around before a kill. Wilbur shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts, there was no evidence yet that Tommy wasn’t alive. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yet.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he prepared to open the letter he’d been handed. He unfolded the paper, the light material feeling as heavy as lead as he slowly opened it. Wilbur hesitated for a second before opening his eyes to look down at the letters written across the white material. The tension in the room was palpable as his eyes scanned the opening line.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>In one week’s time, Tommy Innit is to be executed for his crimes against the nation.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Wilbur thoughts as he sucked in a deep breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wilbur?” Someone asked but the voice sounded too distant to make out who had said it.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>By order of the President, you are to extract all information pertaining to the whereabouts of all missing governmental documentation….</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy didn’t have any documents! Schlatt was making a mistake! Schlatt wasn’t stupid enough to believe Tommy could possibly have anything he wanted!</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He is to be killed in one week at the nation’s festival, celebrating the elimination of the nation's former dictator….</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Had he done this? He had bragged Tommy through the war, the election, Pogtopia. Tommy was a kid! Why didn’t he just let Tommy be a kid?! He was the big brother, it was his job to make sure Tommy was safe. He’d promised their dad he would keep Tommy safe!</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This is to remain off the books and confidential. Sharing this with any unapproved third party will be considered an act of treason….</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d done it to Tubbo too, and Fundy, and now the Dream Team. Gods know where Niki or Jack are. It seemed he was destined to be a black hole, suffocating and killing all those around him. All he wanted was a safe place for those very people, but those who hadn’t betrayed him first were stuck under a monster. How was he meant to save L’Manberg when he couldn’t even save his own brother?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>All methods are approved….</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>No….</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>….before the execution….</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy was alive but not for long. Schlatt was going to kill Tommy in one week and Wilbur couldn’t even make it down the stairs on his own. Once upon a time, Tommy had worshipped the ground Schlatt had walked on, back before life got complicated. Gods, Tommy was alone, who knows where being tormented by his fallen hero. He was a failure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The feeling of something solid coming to rest on his shoulder startled him from his thoughts, causing him to fall out of the small chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wilbur!” Another voice called.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something green was in front of him now, it had to be Dream but the tears blurred the world around him. When did he start crying? There was some mumbling going on around him but none of it mattered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh--why, why would Schlatt do that?” Wilbur asked quietly, “Tommy, he doesn’t have anything…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mumbling stopped once he began to talk. No one talked for a few seconds, one still trying to process the letter he had read and the other three unable to answer the question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wilbur?” That voice was George’s, he could tell, the hesitance in the words were laced with a caution only one member of the team ever seemed to have, “Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The small question was the last thing needed to push the shock away, giving way for the anguish to take over, “Oh Gods!” Wilbur exclaimed, scrambling back up to his feet, “He’s just a kid! He’s a kid!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will, take deep breaths,” Dream instructed, rising to his own feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have to--we have to do something!” Wilbur begged, desperation dripping from every word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And we will,” Dream said, slowly stepping towards the panicked man with raised arms, “I promise you we will, but you need to take some breaths.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wilbur shook his head, walking backward until his back hit the nearby wall, away from the others, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“He’s all that I have!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Wilbur said, barely above a whisper. The sobs fighting to escape his chest making speaking a laborious task, the tears continued to cascade down his cheeks like waterfalls, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Please.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> He wasn’t sure who he was begging this time, maybe it was the others, maybe the gods. He would gladly accept anybody who was listening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dream sighed before crossing the last bit of space separating Wilbur from the rest of them. He silently wrapped his arms around the other, ignoring the weak protests it garnered. He waited until the other finally rested some of his weight on him before slowly lowering them to the ground. George and Sapnap shared a look before joining them on the floor, making sure to give them space so as not to overcrowd Wilbur.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stayed that way in silence for what felt like hours, Dream whispering reassuring nothings to Wilbur until the sobs subsided into small sniffles. Once it sounded as though the worst of the crying was over with Dream pulled back slightly, just enough to look Wilbur in his red-rimmed eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a plan.” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>When I think of scenes it's like a movie scene in my head that I try and translate into writing, if that makes sense? Anyway, it makes writing certain scenes a bit difficult so a few of those scenes didn't turn out quite how I wanted them to (mainly that last one) but I hope they were still good!</p><p>Also, lmk if there are any mistakes, I couldn't proofread this chapter as much as others, thanks!</p><p>Edit: I forgot to mention it but after last chapter went up this fic broke 1,000 kudos and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone! I’ve never had this level of success on a fic before and it makes me so so happy! The engagement on the last chapter was just absolutely amazing! So thank you to everyone who are subscribed, leaves kudos, and comments, whether that’s one time or all my consistent commenters!! Thank you all so much!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Losing Faith</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This isn't the chapter I wanted to be chapter 11 nor is it all that I wanted from it but it's better than nothing I suppose</p>
<p>Also, I apologize for being MIA, I've been deal with some mental health issues so idk what the update schedule for the foreseeable future is going to look like but I hope y'all will be understanding and patient with me!</p>
<p>Quackity POV</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Working with Schlatt wasn’t easy. He was rude, loud, dismissive but Quackity hadn’t ever thought of him as cruel. The thing with Wilbur’s death had crossed a line, sure, and he had mishandled everything involving Niki but Schlatt wasn’t evil. When it was just the two of them there wasn’t any trace of that. Schlatt gave him compliments and he trusted him with the important stuff, something he never did with anyone else.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No, Schlatt wasn’t evil but as Quackity listened to the hybrid explain his plans for the festival that faith shook, “Schlatt, man, you’re talking about publicly killing a kid!” Quackity exclaimed with a nervous laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And? The bastard deserves it,” Schlatt dismissed, “Besides, he’s been trying to start a revolt against us. If he had just left then none of this would have to happen, we can’t just ignore things because he can’t drink yet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean, I guess but we haven’t even had a trial or anything! You’ve just decided that he’s guilty!” Quackity argued back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Schlatt sighed deeply, looking down at his office desk before looking back up at his vice president, “Big Q, I respect you, I do! But think for half a second, I know it’s hard for you but just try. That </span>
  <em>
    <span>kid</span>
  </em>
  <span> broke the law multiple times by coming to Manberg even though he was banished, then he and the other one tried to plan to violently overthrow us! We were democratically elected, they have no right to do that, so there’s also a treason charge. A charge I know for a fact is punishable by death. That on top of all the other bullshit we could put on him. A trail would be a waste of time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We can’t be judge, jury, and executioner,” Quackity tried again, “Public relations with the general public is already rocky, I mean man, come on! The people will hate us if we do that!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So what?” Schlatt asked, raising his voice slightly, taking on an aggressive tone, “So what if those fuckers don’t love me? Huh?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quackity flinched slightly at the tone, “They might revolt….” His golden wings wrapping around his arms in a defensive manner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Christ you’re stupider than usual,” Schlatt said through a bitter laugh, “That doesn’t matter, I can force them to stay in line. I don’t give a fuck whether or not they’re kissing my ass.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But-” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A few dimwits that thought banning weapons was smart against my whole army? I like my odds.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We shouldn’t risk it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll do what I want,” Schlatt said, standing up from the desk and walking over to the large window which overlooked the city square, “All these people are betas, they’re weak. The only reason anyone continues to talk about defying me even after I had Wilbur killed is that they still have </span>
  <em>
    <span>hope.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Hope that Tommy will come and </span>
  <em>
    <span>save them.</span>
  </em>
  <span> They’re stuck in the past, someone needs to give them a wake-up call.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Had Wilbur killed? Schlatt had told him that Ponk and Punz had found them on accident...No, he must have misspoken, Schlatt wouldn’t lie to him. Quackity tried to calm the growing worry in his heart. He should trust Schlatt, Schlatt had gotten them this far, why would he do anything to screw them over now? But this wasn’t right, Tommy may be an annoying prick but he was a child. Gods, Schlatt made it hard to listen to him at times. They teamed together because he wanted to make L’Manberg better but most days it felt like Schlatt wanted the opposite.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you trying to say, Schlatt?” Quackity asked cautiously, moving his wings back trying to feign confidence, “Schlatt?” He asked again after not receiving an answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>saying,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Schlatt said, annoyance coating each word, “If I, we, want to stay in power we need to stomp that hope of their former leaders returning out until there’s nothing left.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We should get them to like us—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hold out your hand,” Schlatt commanded, turning back to face Quackity, effectively cutting off the others' words. Quackity did as told, sighing in annoyance. Not once could Schlatt just give him a simple answer. But he had learned, Schlatt probably had a reason for asking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quackity watched as the president opened one of the drawers of his desk and pulled out a small white candle. His eyebrows furrowed as Schlatt made a show of lighting a match, he hadn’t realized how dark it had gotten outside, the small fire completely lit up the small space between them, “Fire, it’s deadly in large amounts right? But in small amounts, it’s fine, controllable.” Schlatt placed the small candle in Quackity’s waiting hand, moving the match down to light the candle, “Now imagine that the fire is Tommy and the wax is the people. The fire burns and burns until it melts the wax. But the candle is in your hand, isn’t it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quackity nodded his head, unsure of where the other was going with this. A drop of wax began to run down the candle, he went to move the candle from his hand before the paraffin could reach his hand but the other man grabbed his wrist before he could. Quackity gave him an incredulous look, “Schlatt-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You see how the wax is running now. When it gets to your hand it’s going to burn you,” Schlatt said, not looking back at the shorter man, instead, focusing solely on the flame. His yellow eyes glowing against the light, “And it’s going to hurt.” Just as the words left his mouth the hot wax reached Quackity’s hand. He instinctively tried to pull the hand holding the candle back but the grip Schlatt still had on his hands kept them in place. The wax cooled almost instantly but the initial shock left phantom pains where the once hot wax was stuck to his skin. “But, if the flame is extinguished,” Schlatt continued, finally looking back at his partner, pinching out the small flame between his thumb and index in one fluid motion, “Eventually the wax won’t burn anymore and it can’t hurt you, can it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silence filled the room as Quackity processed what the ram-hybrid was trying to say, “You want to kill Tommy because...it’ll make the people give up?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Exactly!” Schlatt exclaimed, a smile spreading across his face, “I knew you weren’t completely idiotic. If we extinguish that little hope that they have, they won’t have any motive to try and overthrow us, they won’t be able to burn us.” He said, lowering his voice to an almost gentle murmur.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess….” Quackity agreed hesitantly. Objectively Schlatt was completely right but it felt...wrong. They were meant to serve the people, even if Schlatt had a stricter approach to it, everything he’d done had in some way been to better the nation, but this was to do the opposite, at the cost of a child's life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t have to agree with it all, you’ve just gotta follow along and keep that mouth shut, yeah?” Schlatt said, sensing the hesitation in the other's voice. There was an underlying threat to the words, there always with Schlatt. Contrary to popular belief Quackity knew when to keep his mouth shut, so he silently nodded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It would be useless to try and argue with Schlatt, his mind was already made up on the matter, no amount of back and forth would change it now. It would have been nice to have been told about Tommy sooner or to have been asked his thoughts on it. They were meant to be partners but in times like this one it felt like Schlatt had all the control, that may be the jokes about only being kept around for his body weren’t just jokes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good, then I think we’re done here,” Schlatt dismissed, the smile fading from his face as quickly as it had appeared. Quackity nodded again and turned to leave as Schlatt lowered himself back down onto his chair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t until the large oak door closed behind him with a final bang that he felt as though he could breathe. The golden wings wrapped around him once again as he made his way back towards his own office. He had been given all of George’s previous assignments but it was late and the thought alone of doing paperwork was exhausting. Maybe he should take a page out of the other vice’s book and call it a day. He’d head back to his office and grab the things he needed to do before tomorrow and do them at home, all this talk of fire and hope had worn him out. Maybe Schlatt wasn’t as good of a guy as he had convinced himself. No, </span>
  <em>
    <span>no,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Schlatt was his partner, they were in this together. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quackity sent a silent prayer to whatever God was listening, but there would be no white rose or magic winds to save him. He chose this, this is what he wanted. It may not have been quite what he imagined it as but he didn’t get to complain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gods save his soul.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If anyone gets the reference at the end there I'll love you forever</p>
<p>Like I said at the start I hope y'all will be patient with me, having a consistent update schedule every week, often twice a week, takes a lot and I have been trying but yeah idk when the next update will be! In the meantime, I want to publish a canon-compliant one-shot focused on Awesamdude that I'll probably put in a collection with this story since I have a few other SMP inspired stories I want to do if y'all want something else too</p>
<p>Again, sorry this isn't the best. Lmk about any mistakes</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Jump In The Cadillac</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>T-Tommy chapter?? In my good Christian Minecraft fanfiction?? It's more likely than you think</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Forgive the chapter title sometimes ya just gotta jump in the Cadillac and that's okay</p><p>Idk if this is good at all but I tried and that is what matters and this wasn't exactly proof read greatly so lmk about any mistakes</p><p>Also, TW !There are vague-ish descriptions of a dead body during the italicized part at the beginning! but that part can be skipped</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“Tommy! Hurry up!” Wilbur called from where he stood against the tall oak tree, “We need to get home soon!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They were at the rapeseed field near their small home. Phil let them play out in the large field every weekend when he got home from trading in the closest village, Phil must have been back at the house already. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Fine,” Tommy mumbled, running through the sea of yellow flowers to stand next to his older brother. He didn’t want to leave the field, it was one of his favorite places in the world. It was only a thirty-minute walk from their humble cottage which meant it was the perfect place to mess around when the house felt too cramped. It was also secluded and off the beaten path meaning they never had to worry about other people running the landscape; it was perfect.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Why do we have to go?” Tommy asked, looking up at the tall brunet.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Because,” Wilbur said, “it’s getting late and you know Dad will send Techno to come and get us which will make him annoyed.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I guess….” Tommy agreed, turning to face where the dirt path leading out should have been but instead he was met with a long, dark cavern, “Wilbur?” He asked, fear suddenly gripping him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The blonde spun around as quickly as he could, praying that the yellow flowers were still behind him, but where the tall flowers and grass should have been there were stone walls and scattered dirt. But more importantly, his brother was no longer standing behind him, “Wilbur? Wilbur!”  </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Panic filled his every nerve as he desperately looked around the cave, trying to find his brother. The cave was covered in darkness, shadows painted the walls and floor making it impossible to see very far. There was a faint light emitting from a nearby upper floor, confirming the suspicion he had that he was back in Pogtopia. Why was he in Pogtopia?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Tommy….” A frail voice called out from the darkness. It sounded as though it was coming from directly in front of the teen. The voice sounded familiar yet slightly off, as though something was choking whoever was speaking. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Will?” He called out once again, he prayed to Prime that it wasn’t his brother. He approached where he believed the voice was coming from, the shadows on the floor creeping back with each step he took, revealing the stone ground as he went. He walked until a gloved hand appeared before him, lying lifeless on the ground.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A stone settled in his stomach as he continued to walk forward, dread tensing his muscles as the shadows fell away further revealing a long arm, covered by a dark brown sleeve, “Please, no….” Tommy begged whatever God might be listening to him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A pained scream ripped from Tommy’s throat before he could fully process the scene before him, he fell to his knees before the unmistakable figure of his older brother. Hot, angry tears pooled in his blue eyes as he looked over Wilbur’s pale face, flecks of blood standing out against his deathly white skin, “Please, no, no, no!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The white shirt he wore was turned crimson as blood continued to ooze from the hidden wound beneath it. The red liquid caused the shirt to stick closely to the body that wore it, making it clear his chest was no longer rising. Tommy lunged forward desperately pressing his hand against the wound in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding, ignoring the sobs that raked through his body.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Please!” He pleaded to the darkness. Not like this, Wilbur was going to be okay, he couldn’t die now. This was his fault, they should have left it alone, Will had wanted to leave the noise alone! Why couldn’t he just listen?!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Tommy,” The raspy voice called once again, slightly louder than before, causing him to jump. The voice sounded as though it had come from right behind him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Who's there?!” Tommy demanded, looking around himself, trying to find the source. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Tommy!” The voice shouted, this time coming from in front of him, startling a loud gasp from the teenager, who whipped his head around to look where the shout had originated from, once again finding only empty space.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His throat closed, cutting off another scream as he felt something grab his arm, hard enough to leave bruises. His head snapped down to look at what had grabbed him, eyes widening at the gloved hand clutching at him. Slowly, painfully he dragged his eyes away from the hand and up towards Wilbur’s face. Mentally he braced himself to see the blood smeared across his brother's face once again, but instead, he was face to face with the wide-colorless, dead eyes of his older brother. Finally pulling out a full scream from the blonde as tried to pry his arm from the corpse's clutch to no avail. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Tommy,” The broken voice of his brother’s body harshly whispered, “why’d you let them kill me?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No, no, no, no! “Please, I didn’t-- I didn’t mean to! It was an accident!” He begged, pulling at the hand keeping him down even harder. Please…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!” Tommy screamed, shooting into an upright position. He violently pulled at the chains restraining him to the cold stone wall of the room he was behind held in. Phantom fingers clung to his arm no matter how hard he tried to get away. It took several minutes for the teen to gather his senses enough to shake the nightmare from his mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy leaned his head against the wall, closing his eyes as he took several deep breaths, trying to ground himself to reality. It was always the same nightmare, it’d start out in the rapeseed field of his childhood, Wilbur was always there, sometimes Techno was with them as well. Wilbur would always call him back towards the old oak tree, only for the field to disappear and give way to Pogtopia. From there it was the same every time, a distorted voice would call out to him, growing louder each time, he’d follow it until the shadows revealed Wilbur’s body. Some nights there would be more blood than others but there was always enough for him to know it was too late. His brother would always ask him, beg him for a reason why Tommy had left him behind in the cave. Tommy was lucky he had woken up when he had, there was once when it took a full minute for him to wake up after Wilbur had begun talking. His dead brother’s strangled voice echoed all around him, drowning him with its screams, confirming his deepest regrets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy opened his eyes, trying to distract himself from the images that still lingered in his mind. Instead, he took note of the numb, throbbing pain in his ribs. They had gotten broken in his fight with Punz and Schlatt refused to let anyone treat it, meaning Phil’s spell was taking much longer than usual. Typically they’d be healed at this point, a fact that pissed off the teen immensely. It wasn’t the worst pain he’d ever been in but it was a constant annoyance which Schlatt had taken amusement in poking his boots every time he had come down. The scrapes and bruises from the fight were almost all gone, thankfully, but fighting against the metal restraints he had created new ones almost daily. His wrists were a deep purple from his struggles yet he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He was a big man, one of these times the chains were bound to break.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sighing, he looked around his personal cell. The room was dark. That was the only thing he knew for sure. There were no windows to track how many days had passed but it felt like it could have been months, maybe years. Realistically that was impossible but gods damn it he wanted to be dramatic. It was probably only a handful of days in reality. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only noise besides his own thoughts was the sound of footsteps above, but even then there weren't many. Most of the time it was Schlatt coming to gloat about one thing or another. The fucking bastard. The second he got out of the chains keeping him to the wall he was going to beat the smirk off the hybrids face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of a trap door opening drew his mind away from his melodramatic musings, “Oh Tommy!” Schlatt’s voice rang out. Speaking of the bitch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy held back the remark on the tip of his tongue. Schlatt wanted a reaction out of him, well he’d have to work for one. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The teen glowered at the older man's back as he descended down the ladder into the small room Tommy was being held in, “Come on, you usually call me a bitch by now! Where’s all that fire you’re known for?” Schlatt asked, turning to face the boy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy narrowed his eyes at Schlatt, pointedly keeping his mouth shut. Schlatt rolled his eyes, leaning down slightly to make eye contact, “You’re not still mad that I had your brother killed, are you? It was really your fault for leaving him down there...” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“OH, YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Tommy suddenly yelled, fighting against the metal restraints, his previous plan forgotten, “When I get out of these you're fucked! I will kill you, I swear to Prime!” Wilbur was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not fucking dead.</span>
  </em>
  <span> No matter what Schlatt said, no matter what he looked like in the cave or his dreams, there was no way Wilbur could truly be dead. He just refused to believe it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Schlatt straightened back up, a patronizing chuckle fell from his mouth as he did so, “There it is! We wouldn’t want you to feel sick before your big day,” He said, voice filled with a false saccharine tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck does that mean?” Tommy asked, once again narrowing his eyes at the man. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll see soon enough,” Schlatt dismissed, “But that doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that I brought you a friend!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy rolled his eyes, leaning back against the wall he was tied to. Whatever Schlatt was getting at it couldn’t be good, but Tommy had learned quickly; if Schlatt didn’t want you to know something you weren’t going to find out. Asking anymore about his “big day” wasn’t going to do anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What friend?” Tommy asked, putting as much passive aggression as he could into the question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An old friend,” Schlatt said, “You can come down now!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A figure started climbing down the ladder. Whoever it was, he was too tall to be Tubbo, Tommy realized with a sinking heart, gods he missed Tubbo. They were human so not Fundy and they didn’t appear to be wearing a beanie which ruled out Quackity, there weren't many other people Tommy knew that Schlatt would bring down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Tommy said with displeasure as the figure turned around to face him, “We are not friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rude,” George said, walking over to stand next to Schlatt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man with horns let out another chuckle as he patted the British man on the back, “George you know what to do, I have weights to lift and a festival to plan!” With that Schlatt turned and made his way back up the ladder, leaving the other two alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy silently glared up at the other. Schlatt had brought George down here for a reason and Tommy knew first hand that George was capable of being cruel. Whatever George wanted from him, he wasn’t getting it. George could go fuck himself for all Tommy cared. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bitch,” Tommy said, barely holding back his laughter at the sigh it garnered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re making this difficult already,” George told the teen, kneeling down to be at the same level as the other. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy tilted his head slightly to the side, eyebrows furrowed, “What does that mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George silently reached out and grabbed the teen’s wrist. The simple action caused ice to pool in his stomach, spreading to every limb and freezing them in place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” George apologized, letting go of the blonde's wrist. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why the fuck was he apologizing?</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I’m going to unlock the chuffs, okay?” He explained gently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Tommy asked cautiously. No way in hell George Not Found was doing this out of the kindness of his heart. The bastard was the reason why L’Manberg was in the situation it was in, why Tommy was in chains in the first place, why Wilbur was….George was to blame, if he had just shown up for the election none of this would be happening.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, fine,” George relented, moving from his kneeling position to fully sit on the ground, “If you won’t let me help without an explanation, then I guess I have to explain. I’m here to help you, Tommy, as much as I can right now. It’s still too risky to tell you everything but you aren’t alone.” George said moving his goggles to rest atop his dark hair in order to make eye contact with Tommy. The locks on the chuffs finally clicked, releasing his hands from the cold restraints.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy looked back at him with wide eyes, subconsciously rubbing his bruised wrists, hugging them to his chest. There had to be a secondary motive here, there always was, “But </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> are you helping me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The older man sighed, briefly breaking eye contact before looking back at him, “I know I had a hand in getting Schlatt into power, and for that I’m sorry, Tommy, I truly am. I didn’t think it would end up like this, I figured you and Wilbur would win and it wouldn’t be a big deal. Obviously, I was wrong and I want to make up for that if you’ll let me. And it’s not just me, Dream and Sapnap too, we have a plan, you just need to trust us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy sighed, everything in him was screaming not to trust George. Every memory they shared was bathed in blood or sorrow, why would they decide to help him now? It just didn’t make any sense that they’d all suddenly had a change of heart, something else had to be going on. Gods he wished Wilbur was here, Will always had an answer to these things, ever since they were kids. Will was the smart one, the leader with all the answers, Tommy was the brash troublemaker, he was never expected to make those calls. Would Wilbur have accepted the help? He wouldn’t want to that’s for sure, but back when they thought they’d lost the revolution Wilbur had told him that being a leader meant that you needed the brains to make the right call, even if it was one you didn’t want to make. Was this one of those times?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How can I trust you? I mean, you have kind of killed me and everyone I love multiple times,” Tommy asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>George thought about the question for a moment, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to figure out the best way to phrase his answer, “I guess that depends, is there any way I can prove it to you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The counter-question caught the teen a bit off guard, though he refused to let it show. How could George prove it? There wasn’t a lot he could do in all honesty, even if he did end up accepting the help, that didn’t mean there was much trust behind it, “Are you going to let me free?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I can’t, not yet,” George said with a deep sigh, his tone genuine, “I am sorry but soon. We have a plan, we just need to play it as safe as possible for now, there aren't a lot of us so we can’t risk messing up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was fair, Tommy supposed. The Dream Team was only three people and as far as he was aware the rest of their friends were behind Schlatt. He really, really wished Wilbur was with him, he wished </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> was with him, “Wait a minute,” Tommy said furrowing his brows as he thought. Maybe Wilbur was gone, not for good, but for now Wilbur was gone but he wasn’t the only person Tommy could rely on, he wasn’t Tommy’s only brother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” George asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know how you can get me to trust you,” Tommy explained, “I’m going to need some chalk, some lapiz, wood, flint and steel, a pig’s skull, and some potatoes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why, exactly, do you need all of that?” George asked, confusion clearly written across his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know a guy who can help, but he’s kinda hard to call, and I think the potatoes would be funny, just trust me,” Tommy vaguely elaborated, “Also, I want to see Tubbo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George looked at him for a second, still clearly confused, “Okay...I can get those but it can’t be until tomorrow and I don’t know about Tubbo, Tommy, he’s not allowed to know you’re here--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want Tubbo or you can fuck right off,” Tommy said bluntly. He couldn’t call Technoblade until tomorrow when George came back, </span>
  <em>
    <span>if George came back,</span>
  </em>
  <span> until Techno got here Tubbo was all he had left. The fact that his best friend was walking around above him with no idea he was there was pure torture. Gods, he just wanted to see Tubbo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll-- I’ll see what I can do Tommy, but if I can’t bring Tubbo, please understand that it is for both your safety,” George told him gently. Tommy knew he was being honest, it was probably selfish for him to ask to see his best friend again but after everything didn’t he deserve to be a little selfish? Despite that, he nodded his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” George said, “Schlatt is expecting me to knock you around a bit but I’m not going to so if he asks I did, just nowhere he can see. This is all I have to do today so I can leave if you’d like, or I can stay--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please stay,” Tommy said, maybe he answered too quickly but it’d been a few days since he got to talk to anyone besides Schlatt and he was going crazy on his own, “Please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I can stay,” George said kindly, albeit awkwardly. </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>George stayed for nearly an hour and a half, the conversation was a bit stilted but Tommy had been more than happy to fill the silence on his own. But now he was back on his own in the cold dark room he was slowly growing used to, the silence once again returning at a deafening volume. It felt as though he was drowning in it, it surrounded him at every possible angle, suffocating him slowly. He had always hated the silence, ever since he was a little kid, long before he had met his family. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence meant you were on your own, alone. All it did was serve as a reminder of the fact that no one else was around to keep you company, and in Tommy’s experience, it was because they didn’t care about you. People came and went, it was the way of life, when they came they brought new noise, and when they left there was the silence. It took a special kind of person to make the silence comfortable. Tubbo had a comfortable silence, Wilbur, Techno, and Phil did too. George’s silence was an awkward one but it hadn’t been unbearable. Tommy didn’t like it and it sure as hell hadn’t been a comfortable one but there were worse silences to be in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had left with a promise of coming back the next day, although it was his job the assurance was still appreciated, though he’d sooner die than admit that. He had also promised to bring the supplies Tommy had asked for, along with some food and water, things Schlatt had only brought down once since Tommy had woken up. It would probably take a day or so for Technoblade to show up but Gods help ‘Manberg’ when he did. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Happy holiday's everyone! I hope your holidays were amazing! I got a new computer so everything is much better and I feel like a whole ass person lmao</p><p>Lmk if there are any mistakes! This isn't quite what I wanted from this chapter but oh well. I feel like this chapter is a bit different from the rest and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing though I will say that intro was probably the first time I cringed at my own writing but Swag</p><p>I was going to post that Awesam fic but then my brain decided 'angsty Dadza and ghostbur fic' instead so two new stories?? Might be on the way and I was looking over the notes for the future few chapters and I'm feeling motivated again!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Plans Set in Motion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Dream Team and Wilbur go over their plans</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi...it's me again :DD Long time no see... BUT I've been doing better and have so many ideas I'm super excited for a far as this story goes soo hopefully updates pick back up again. </p><p>I think this is the longest chapter so far and has a lot of dialogue so...pog </p><p>George/Wilbur POV</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’m back!” George called into the home as he opened the door. Sapnap was out with Karl either finding a wedding venue or llama hunting, though knowing those two it was probably the latter. Dream had gone out on some vague ‘mission’ but that was normal for the masked man, George was honestly surprised that he had managed to stay at the house for the past few days. Gods it was exhausting to think it had only been five days since they had found Wilbur, it felt as though it had been months at this point. </p><p>As if on cue a small thud came from upstairs, followed by pounding footsteps. George rolled his eyes with a deep sigh, no matter what he told the taller man Wilbur absolutely refused to listen to his instructions. His dad's magic be damned, it wasn’t going to do much good if he fell down the stairs and broke his neck. </p><p>In a matter of seconds, the other brit was standing in front of him, chest heaving slightly from exertion. His eyes and nose were slightly red, though George elected not to comment on that. He was only mildly impressed that Wilbur was still standing, “I told you to <em> not </em> use the stairs, not run down them,” He said instead. </p><p>Wilbur rolled his eyes at the comment, “I’m practically fine! The stairs don’t make me dizzy anymore. On an <em> unrelated </em> note, I’m going to sit down,” He responded, doing just that, voice slightly strained.</p><p>“Head between your legs,” George instructed, only a bit smug, as he walked over to the cabinet that held their glasses. Knowing Wilbur he’d probably forgotten to drink anything all day. He was taking care of a toddler. George set the full glass down on the table in front of the other, “Here you go.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Wilbur muttered, raising his head back up again and clearing his throat, “So...how was work?”</p><p>George let out a sigh as he pulled his tie loose, taking a seat at the table himself. Wilbur had been an absolute wreck the night before, more than usual. Dream had to stay in his room just to make sure he didn’t try and break out again. When he wasn’t screaming at the others he had been crying, all his words drowned out beneath choking gasps. The only time he’d calmed down slightly was after Dream promised him they had a plan to save Tommy but that hadn’t lasted very long. It was what George imagined telling a parent that their child wouldn’t be coming home would look like. He knew Wilbur cared for the kid but he had underestimated just how much. </p><p>Could Wilbur handle hearing how Tommy was doing?</p><p>“I saw Tommy,” George began, taking note of the way Wilbur shifted his entire body closer, his eyes locked onto the smaller man's, unwilling to miss a single detail, “We talked for a bit. Well, Tommy talked, I listened. He asked for some random stuff. Food, water, and some other things.”</p><p>“Is he okay? Is he hurt?” Wilbur asked eyebrows pinched and lips pulled into a small frown as he nervously messed with them. Desperation laced every word he spoke.</p><p>George hesitated before answering. Tommy hadn’t been okay. The teen had been covered in dirt and blood, face marked up with various scrapes and bruises, chained to the wall, and clearly upset. Tommy had been the furthest thing from okay. The thought of Schlatt targeting his family was the only thing keeping George from busting the kid out then and there. Not to mention the harsh words Schlatt had spat in his face, he hadn’t heard exactly what was said but he heard Tommy after, that was enough to piece together the general tone. Wilbur most certainly could not handle that. Would a half-truth but so bad? “He’s a bit beaten up from his fight with Punz and pretty tired but it’s nothing that can’t heal.” </p><p>Wilbur relaxed slightly at that, his face conflicted on the answer, “Okay….But he’s-- he can get better? It’s nothing that can’t be fixed?”</p><p>“I promise, Wilbur, once we get him out of there it won’t take long at all for him to be just as good as before,” <em> Physically, </em> though he left that part out. There was no telling what exactly was happening with Tommy’s mental state. He had seemed like himself when George saw him, granted George had spent basically no time with the teen before. He wasn’t the most qualified person to decide whether or not Tommy seemed fine. He knew that Tommy thought Wilbur was dead, Schlatt made sure of that, which clearly made the teen upset, to say the least. He’d have to keep that from Wilbur too, for now.</p><p>The curly-haired brunette seemed unsure of the answer but nodded his head nonetheless. He sighed, leaning back in the chair, and finally taking a sip from the glass of water, “When does Dream and Sapnap get back?”</p><p>“Sapnap should be back in an hour or so,” George answered, squinting at the clock on the wall, “And Dream, I have no clue. I’ll message him and check.” He pulled out the whisper device from his suit pocket to send a quick text to Dream.</p><p><em> ‘Soon’ </em> was the response he got back. He rolled his eyes at the cryptic message. The other team members liked to call him a drama queen but Dream was the biggest dramatizer he had ever met. George relayed the message to the other man in the room who seemed less than pleased with the answers. Dream had promised to go over the plan he had with everyone once Wilbur was in a functioning state, which quickly translated into the late next day. Wilbur seemed to be able to form coherent thoughts now, which was a vast improvement, but the tear stains were obvious. Once the physical recovery was done George was going to force the stubborn prick into therapy, Gods know everyone in this damned world needed it. </p><p>They sat in silence for a while before George decided to change out of the stuffy suit he was required to wear. Wilbur wasn’t going to leave the kitchen now that he knew the other two would be back relatively soon, so he didn’t have to worry about him exhausting himself or running away.</p><p>The bedroom door clicked shut as George leaned back against the oak, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. He pushed himself off and made his way over to the dresser, setting his white goggles down on it. He met his own troubled eyes in the mirror that rested on top of the dresser. There were deep bags under them, not the worst he’s seen on himself but they stood out stark against his pale skin, his hair was mussed from where he ran his hands through it over and over again. Before he could stop them hot tears stung his eyes, blurring the messy imagine of himself.</p><p>It was stupid. Eye bags and messy hair were no reason to cry! Wilbur had everything he loved stolen from him, that was a reason to cry, not a bad hair day. But...he was always so careful to look his best. He knew his face was what drew most people in. There were times when he wished that wasn’t true; when he wished it was his skills like Dream, or his energy like Sapnap and Karl, or even his sense of humor like Quackity, but he took pride in looking his best nonetheless. If people focused on his smile that meant they wouldn’t pry into his personal life which is something he very much so wanted private, especially now.</p><p>Gods, he was playing spy for people who hated him not even a week ago! He was putting everyone he loved in danger for what? Why did they have to be the ones to gamble with their lives? The Dream Team had <em> no reason </em> to risk everything for Wilbur and Tommy! This wasn’t their war, they didn’t owe them a single thing!</p><p><em> But that wasn’t true, was it? </em>George realized, taking quick shallow breaths as he backed away from the mirror, sitting down on the bed. They owed those two, hell that whole country, a lot. They’d been the ones to try and cush their independence, if George hadn’t slept in then Schlatt wouldn’t be in power now, all of the bad things that came after that was on him. He did owe it to them.</p><p>He missed the days when they were younger. The three of them running around the forests, doing whatever made them happy. He missed days spent fishing at the community house, Bad, Awesam, Callahan, and Alyssa with them. Now he only saw Bad during scheduled meet-ups, Sam had moved far away from everyone when the first war broke out to escape the violence, he’s been coming back to the main city more often but nothing like it used to be. Callahan barely messaged anymore, let alone visited and Alyssa had moved as well, but she was never at the farmhouse when he went to visit. It had all fallen apart so quickly. </p><p><em>Why’d it have to be them?</em> <em>Why’d they had to find Wilbur?</em> It was a selfish thought, he knew that Wilbur would be dead if they hadn’t found him when they had, but for just a second he deserved to be selfish. He had suffered through every order, every comment, and shitty joke from the dictator in order to keep Dream and Sapnap safe, now it was all on the line. One wrong word and they were all dead.</p><p>Everyone’s fate was on his shoulders <em> and his hair looked like shit. </em>He had placed his head in his hands, further messing it up, yet despite how much he hated it he couldn’t find it in himself to change his position. It wasn’t until a soft knock at his door caught his attention that he lifted his head. George quickly cleared his throat and wiped away any remaining tears before responding, “Yes?”</p><p>“Um, it’s me,” Wilbur’s unsure voice carried through the wooden door, “You were taking a bit longer than usual, and then I heard some sniffles so I-- Are you okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m fine,” George said automatically. There was no need to burden the other with his stupid problems.</p><p>“Oh, well then, can I come in?” Wilbur asked, the awkwardness from before seemingly dissipating in a second. </p><p>George wasn’t an idiot, he knew what Wilbur was doing. If he was fine then there was no reason why Wilbur couldn’t enter the room. Either he had to admit to lying or let Wilbur in and get caught lying. With a heavy sigh, he gave the other permission to enter. The door opened quietly, revealing the other man, the look on this face going from one of curiosity to not quite pity, understanding maybe, once he saw George on the bed. He silently walked over and sat beside him on the bed. </p><p>They sat in compatible silence as George fought to stop the sniffles and shallow breaths until Wilbur spoke first, “Are you okay?” He asked again, “Look, you three have been putting up with me, the least I can do is return the favor.”</p><p>“It’s so stupid,” George admitted quietly. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad to tell someone.</p><p>“I doubt that.”</p><p>George let out a humorless, airy laugh at that, “My hair looks bad,” He said, looking over at the other to see his reaction. He had expected a scoff, an affronted look, to be told he was being ridiculous. Instead, he was met with an empathetic look, a small, patient smile adorning the other face.</p><p>“Are you sure it’s about your hair? And not, I don’t know everything else?” Wilbur asked with a slight tilt of his head. </p><p>George blinked slowly at the other, “What?”</p><p>“Well, you’ve got a lot of pressure on you right now. We’re asking a lot from you, and I am sorry about that, by the way. You haven’t taken any time for yourself.” Wilbur explained. </p><p>Huh. That was...fair. “Maybe, I don’t know. Everything’s been a bit much recently I suppose,” George agreed. </p><p>Wilbur looked away, focusing on the white glasses that sat on the dresser, but not before George could see his guilty expression, “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean for you all to get involved. I promise once I have Tommy back, you won’t have to deal with us anymore.”</p><p>He knew that promise was meant to be comforting. Once Tommy and Wilbur left them, they could pretend that nothing happened, life could go back to how it was the week before. It wouldn’t be perfect but it would be less messy, exactly what he wanted, so why did disappointment flood his chest? They couldn’t pretend as if nothing happened, could they? Too much had gone down in the past few days alone and who’s to say what was to come in the following week, it would be impossible to simply ignore it all. But he kept those thoughts to himself, they’d have to see what happened first and there’s no saying if the others felt the same. </p><p>“Look, George, you have a lot on your plate, an unfair amount honestly. It’s okay to be upset, it’s okay to cry, holding it all in will make it worse. You told me that, you should listen to yourself,” Wilbur said, smirking at the smaller man next to him.</p><p>George rolled his eyes at the cheap tactic, “I am the only one around here with a brain,” He agreed with a small smile of his own. </p><p>“Oh shut up,” Wilbur laughed, rolling his own eyes dramatically. </p><p>“Gods, this is all a mess,” George groaned, resting his head on the other’s shoulder, noting the way he didn’t immediately tense under the contact. That was progress. </p><p>“We just need to save Tommy,” Wilbur said, voice full of conviction. </p><p>George laughed lightly at the comment, “You care about him a whole lot, don’t you?”</p><p>“What gave it away?” Wilbur asked, a smile evident in his tone, “I care about Tommy more than I care about nearly everything else.”</p><p>George hummed, it wasn’t exactly new information, “I guess war does that.”</p><p>That garnered a full laugh from the other. George raised his head back up to look at Wilbur, eyebrows furrowed, “What?”</p><p>“Nothing, nothing,” Wilbur assured him through another laugh, “It’s just-- has anyone told you that you’re incredibly dense?”</p><p>“What?! No, I’m not!” George defended himself, he was never a fan of being left out of the loop, “What are you laughing at?” </p><p>It took a second for Wilbur to respond, “Okay, fine. I’ll tell you after we save Tommy. I’m really curious to see how long it takes you to figure it out.”</p><p>“That’s not an answer,” George argued. He didn’t know what Wilbur was getting at but it was already annoying him. </p><p>“Yes it is, just not the one you wanted,” Will countered with a raised eyebrow, clearly far more amused than his counterpart.</p><p>“Whatever,” George grumbled. If Wilbur wasn’t going to tell him, he wasn’t going to beg, “Go away, I want to get out of this stupid suit.” </p><p>“Fine!” Wilbur said, raising his hands in mock surrender before making his way to the bedroom door, “And for what its worth, George, I forgive you,” He added turning back to face the other.</p><p>That took George off guard momentarily. He hadn’t realized how much he had wanted to hear those words, “You too,” He said, remembering the apology Will had offered earlier. With that, the taller man smiled before closing the door, presumably to go wait in the kitchen again. George sighed, glancing up at the ceiling. Dream and Sapnap should be getting back to the house any time now, then they needed to plan, he could already feel the headache coming on. Hopefully that wouldn’t be as bad. </p><hr/><p>It took just over half an hour for Sapnap to get back home. George had never been more relieved to see his friend before. Although he and Wilbur had learned to get along better since their first conversation and there was a bit more understanding now, they were by no means friends. Wilbur had been more than happy to simply talk about whatever was on his mind but after a few minutes, he had gotten bored with the mostly one-way conversation. It wasn’t that George didn’t care for what the other was saying, he just wasn’t good at talking to those he didn’t know very well. But once Sapnap returned he told them all about his llama-hunting adventures with his fiance, giving Wilbur someone to talk to and easing the awkwardness George felt. </p><p>Wilbur was in the middle of explaining the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Independance when Dream finally returned. His mask was scrapped and dirty, the green cloak and white shirt he wore had their fair share of tears, and he was completely covered in mud.</p><p>“Successful trip?” George asked as the man in question took off his heavy boots by the door.</p><p>“You could say that, yeah,” Dream agreed, setting his satchel down on the kitchen counter with a loud thud. </p><p>“What did you even do?” Sapnap asked, sitting up straighter trying to peek into the bag. </p><p>“Nothing too important,” Dream answered vaguely, “Here. It’s the closest I could find to your one,” Dream said, tossing a long brown coat at Wilbur. </p><p>“Oh,” Wilbur said, looking down at the jacket in his hands. He had honestly forgotten that his coat had been ruined, it was a kind gesture albeit unexpected, “Thank you,” He said quietly. </p><p>“Don’t mention it,” Dream dismissed.</p><p>“Did you get me anything?” Sapnap asked, batting his eyelashes dramatically with a wide smile.</p><p>“No, he doesn’t like you,” George answered for the blonde who let out a wheezing laugh at the indignant look on Sapnap’s face. </p><p>Sapnap was about to respond when the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat cut him off. All eyes glanced over at the source of the noise and were met with Wilbur’s expectant face, no words needed to be spoken to understand what he was waiting on. The light mood of the room quickly dissipated as everyone sobered up. He almost felt bad about ruining their moods but there were more important things to talk about, they could all have fun after he got his brother back. </p><p>“Let me change,” Dream said before heading up the stairs. The trio sat in tense silence until he returned, sporting his usual green hoodie and a new mask, “Alright, let’s get started.”</p><p>“What’s the plan?” Wilbur demanded as soon as the other finished speaking, putting on his best ‘presidential’ voice. He’d been waiting hours for Dream to explain this plan to him, they only had six days to save Tommy and every minute counted. Gods know what he would do if they wasted that time. </p><p>“Okay but promise to hear us out until the end,” Dream conceded. The phrasing made it seem as though he wasn’t going to like the plan which was the last thing Wilbur had wanted to hear but he nodded nonetheless. It was better than nothing. Dream’s shoulders sagged slightly in relief before he nodded to George. </p><p>“You’ve read the notice so I won’t go into too much detail, basically Schlatt is blaming Tommy for some missing documents that could justify the people rebelling against him. If I had to bet? He knows Tommy doesn’t have them but when whoever does sees him being executed for it they’ll hand them over. Killing him also stops any dreams of being out from under Schlatt’s rule,” George explained, trying to sound as matter-of-fact as possible, ignoring Wilbur’s small flinch at the mention of the execution, “The people were holding out hope that you and Tommy would come back but with Tommy being killed and you already being pronounced dead they’ll have no figurehead to inspire them.” </p><p>“Okay,” Wilbur said slowly, taking the information in. It made sense as far as evil schemes went Wilbur supposed. If Schlatt got the documents back then the people wouldn’t be able to prove that he was violating the Constitution, meaning no foreign entity could offer aid. He hoped whoever did have them was keeping them safe. He was well aware his people wouldn’t be able to stand against Schlatt’s army unaided. The last he had been able to talk to Tubbo he had explained that the guards had become corrupt, fulfilling Schlatt’s every wish with joy. <em> Gods Tubbo, </em> he prayed the boy was doing okay, “So what can we do?”</p><p>“We were waiting to see how Tommy was doing before fully committing to the plan we came up with,” Sapnap filled in, looking at George once again.</p><p>“Tommy’s okay. He’s got a few scrapes and bruises, he seems pretty worn out but it’s nothing too bad. Besides, I’m in charge now so that won’t change. He asked for a few things, though, which I wanted to ask about,” George said, turning to face the other brit, “He asked for chalk, lapiz, stuff to make a fire, a <em> pig skull, </em> and potatoes, and when I asked why he just said he wanted to <em> call </em> someone?” </p><p>“Oh Gods,” Wilbur mumbled to himself, putting his elbows on the table and dropping his head into his hands. <em> Tommy was going to call Technoblade, </em> he should be happy that Tommy had the foresight to know he needed help but did it have to be Techno? That was stupid, of course, he would call Technoblade. Who else better to call when trying to take down the government? But they hadn’t talked since Wilbur told his older twin that he’d become President, that was a less than pleasant conversation. He could already hear the monotone ‘told you so’ from the other. He was going to call him a nerd for getting stabbed. </p><p>“Will?” Sapnap’s voice cut through his internal dilemma. </p><p>“Sorry,” Wilbur said, sitting up once again, “He wants to call my older brother.”</p><p>“The potato farmer?” George asked, “Why does he need an animal skull? Is that more of your dad’s magic?” </p><p>“No, my brother is just antisocial and stupidly dramatic so he decided to make getting in touch weirdly hard,” Wilbur explained, voice only slightly bitter. </p><p>“Tommy knows your brother?” George asked, eyebrows furrowed, a small frown tugging at his lips.</p><p>From across the table, Sapnap gave his friend a disbelieving smile, confusion painting his face as well, “George, you know they’re b--” Wilbur kicked his legs under the table before the man with space buns could finish his sentence. Wilbur gave him a slight shake of his head, fighting the smile that was trying to make its way onto his face, he was having too much fun waiting to see how long it took the smaller man to figure his family out. Sapnap glared at him but thankfully kept his mouth shut. </p><p>“Do I know they’re what?” George pushed, eyeing the other two suspiciously.</p><p>“That they’re...buddies! War makes people close right? It’s not weird Tommy’s met his family…?” Sapnap offered though it sounded more like a question than a statement. </p><p>George was about to push the subject more when Dream spoke up, “Your brother is an antisocial potato farmer?” The man in the mask asked, something unreadable in his voice.</p><p>Wilbur briefly debated on how to respond to the question. Saying yes would be admitting to Dream that Technoblade was his brother, Dream’s self-proclaimed rival, or at least that was what he had been saying last time they talked. He would also be admitting to lying about not knowing who Technoblade was when they were friends, a lie he’s kept up for nearly two years at this point. But the odds were Dream had already put the pieces together, “Yeah, he’s a weird one.”</p><p>“Why a pig skull?” </p><p>“You know why,” Wilbur said, rolling his eyes at the dramatics, he could just imagine the smug smirk under the porcelain mask, “Let’s focus, <em> please. </em> George, can you please tell him to <em> really </em> think about doing that? My brother is either going to be a lot of help or a huge problem.”</p><p>“Why is that?” Sapnap asked.</p><p>“He’s strongly anti-government. So I’m sure he’d be more than happy to help us take care of Schlatt but it's what comes after Schlatt that I’m not sure about. He wasn’t exactly happy when I told him I was going to be building a new government, I doubt that will change the second time around,” Wilbur explained</p><p>Silence settled over the group as they thought over the new information that had been shared, “We need all the help we can get,” Dream reasoned, “We can deal with that when Schlatt is gone.”</p><p>“I’ll tell him to think about it anyway,” George promised. </p><p>“Great, well, there’s that,” Wilbur sighed, “Now can we get back on track?” Technoblade was certainly going to be an...interesting addition to the situation but he knew Techno would do anything to get Tommy back and that was what mattered.</p><p>“Right, so Tommy seems to be in a good enough state to handle everything,” Dream began, tone shifting seamlessly back into seriousness, “This is the part you promised to hear out, we were thinking we could get Eret—“ </p><p>“No fucking way!”</p><p>“WE GET ERET to meet with Schlatt before the festival! It’ll be the perfect distraction to give us enough time to get Tommy out of there,” Dream pushed on, ignoring the interruption. </p><p>“You can’t be serious?!” Wilbur accused, looking around the table for some sign he had misheard. There was no way in hell that he was going to allow their plan to hinge on <em> Eret. </em></p><p>“Look I know you don’t like the guy but he’s the only option we have,” Sapnap added nervously.</p><p>“Well then, we make more options! I’m not relying on Eret to save Tommy!” Wilbur argued back, growing more frustrated with the trio as the seconds passed. They could not seriously have expected him to agree to this! After what Eret did? After everything his actions had cost them? There was no way Wilbur was just going to give him a second chance to screw everyone over again. Tommy only had one life left, he wasn’t going to risk another betrayal. </p><p> Dream sighed, leaning forward in his seat, “Wilbur, we can’t just <em> make </em> more options. The festival is in just a few days- less than a week- we need to start working <em> now. </em>” </p><p>“Maybe it’s easy for you three to trust him but in case you forgot, he is responsible for quite a bit of horrific things! I’m not letting him anywhere near my boys! Any of them! He can fuck right off!” Wilbur said trying to contain the anger burning deep in his heart. Once upon a time Eret had been one of his most trusted friends, hell he even helped raise Fundy, but he had thrown that out the window. It would take everything the king had to even convince Wilbur to <em> listen </em> to him, let alone trust him again. Wilbur had made that mistake before, never again. </p><p>“He regrets it,” George offered lightly.</p><p>“That means exactly jack-shit to me. He better fucking regret it,” Wilbur snapped back. </p><p>“Ya know, we were the ones who did the killing in the Final Control Room, not Eret. Between the three of us, we’ve done so much worse than he has. Yet here you are, trusting us,” Dream brought up.</p><p>Wilbur glared across at the masked man, “Who says I trust you completely? Don’t think I’ve forgotten what you’ve all done because I haven’t! Yes, George and Sapnap have done their fair share of damage and you took <em> two </em> of Tommy’s lives and I will <em> never </em> forget that. But Eret? Even if he wasn’t the one holding the sword he stole one of all of our lives. He is responsible for <em> killing </em> three little kids, they didn’t deserve that! That room cost us the war! If Tommy hadn’t had those stupid discs I- I don’t want to imagine what would have happened. We <em> lost </em> because of him. If we hadn’t lost then Tommy wouldn’t have tried to duel you!” He shouted, before restraining himself. Taking a deep breath, he continued in a quiet tone, “I’m sorry but I cannot put trust into him, especially not with this.” </p><p>The house was blanketed in silence for a minute afterward, each man thinking of how to continue with the conversation. They needed to be on the same page if the plan was going to work.</p><p>“How about Niki?” George asked, at last, breaking the quiet. </p><p>“What about Niki?” Wilbur countered, sounding exhausted. </p><p>George clarified, “Do you trust her?” </p><p>“Of course I trust Niki,” Wilbur answered instantly, a bit confused, “What does she have to do with this?”</p><p>“She’s always been the most open about being against Schlatt. From the second he banished you she has been clear about her disdain for him and he noticed. He began targeting her, making it virtually impossible for her to live in L’Manberg,” George explained, “So she left. And she went to Eret. He’s been helping every citizen seeking to escape Schlatt, Niki included. I know for a fact she’s still with him, he got her away from the guards when Schlatt announced you were dead. So fine, don’t trust him but <em> please </em> trust her for a bit longer.” </p><p>Niki...trusted Eret? She hadn’t been with them in the mainland when the betrayal had happened but she knew every detail there was to know. She’d been there to help him through the nightmares that followed and everything that entailed, she wouldn’t trust Eret without reason. Wilbur dropped his head back in his hands once again. Gods, he didn’t have a choice, did he? </p><p>“Fine….<em> only </em> because Niki’s with him. But I fucking hate it,” He finally conceded. The other three’s shoulders sagged in relief, they didn’t have a backup plan to offer yet, “Okay, we get Eret and Schlatt in a meeting then what? The place is bound to be crawling with people.”</p><p>“Tommy is being kept in a cell below the White House, it’s extremely isolated and I’m confident Schlatt and I are going to be the only people to see him before the festival. We could sneak in and get him out before the party even begins,” George offered.</p><p>“It’d be risky. Schlatt and Eret don’t exactly get along, if Schlatt leaves early and Tommy is missing or we’re seen at any point it’d be us against a hundred,” Sapnap pointed out, glancing around the small circle. </p><p> </p><p>Dream hummed quietly before answering, “Good point. We should be sneakier if possible.” </p><p>“And how do we do that?” George asked, running a hand through his redone hair. </p><p>“Wait,” Wilbur said. It was a risky idea and they’d have to pull more people into their plan but what other choice did they have? “The ground below L’Manberg is hollow from when you all blew it up. We tried filling it in but it just cost too much so a lot of the land is just built over the holes. That plus the sewer system that Tommy made, there’s a lot of ways of getting around the city without being seen.” </p><p>“What are you suggesting, Will?” Dream prompted. </p><p>“Well if someone can build in an exit on the stage around where Tommy will be put, we can link it to the tunnels already below the city. They connect everywhere; the community house, the embassy, I think Tommy and Tubbo were talking about making a tunnel to Pogtopia, even. I’m not sure how far they got but I’m willing to bet that’s what Ponk and Punz used to break in. We could move nearly anywhere in the SMP and L’Manberg,” Wilbur explained.</p><p>“Do we know anyone who can do that?” Dream asked the group.</p><p>“Tubbo is in charge of decorating and the like,” George said with a hint of hesitance, “If anyone can make a hidden trap door the lead decorator seems like a good place to start.” </p><p>“How do we get him to do it without giving everything away? I thought the whole thing was as little people as possible could know what was really going on?” Sapnap looked across at the bespectacled man. </p><p>“We don’t have to tell him about Wilbur, not yet but he’d have to know about Schlatt’s plan for Tommy,” George reasoned.</p><p>“Can he do the job and know that, though?” Sapnap pushed.</p><p>“Tubbo's a smart kid, he’s a lot more capable than people give him credit for. He was playing spy for Tommy and me, and Schlatt still treats him as more of an official than George; he knows how to keep a secret,” Wilbur defended the teen. Objectively he knew Sapnap was simply being cautious, they were going to be asking a lot from the kid, but Tubbo was just as much his little brother as Tommy was at this point. And like he said, Tubbo wasn’t given nearly as much credit as he deserved. </p><p>“I have faith in Tubbo but it may be best to see if we can get away with not telling him for now, we need to make sure Eret is on board first but eventually he’ll need to know,” George said.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright then, we have a plan. We get Tubbo to build a secret exit in the stand-- George you need to find out where exactly Schlatt plans on having Tommy be-- link it to the underground tunnels, have Eret get Schlatt in a meet beforehand so we can sneak into the city than we get Tommy and Tubbo out of there,” Dream summarized, looking around for any complaints. When he was met with none he stood up from the small dining table, “Great, now we just need to talk to Eret and Tubbo.” </p><p>“I can talk to Tubbo soon but he isn’t exactly a fan of me right now,” George said, “I’m not sure how well that will go over with any proof that I’m not lying.”</p><p>“When we have confirmation on Eret you can take him to see Tommy? That’s a pretty good way to prove you aren’t lying,” Sapnap suggested, balancing on the back legs of his chair. </p><p>“True, Tommy did ask to see Tubbo in order for me to gain his trust along with the stuff to call Will’s brother, two birds, one stone,” George agreed.</p><p>“I know, I’m a genius,” The blue-eyed man said with a self-satisfied smirk.</p><p>The brit rolled his eyes at his friend, “I hope you fall.” </p><p>Sapnap dramatically gasped, dropping the chair back onto all four of its legs, “Dream! George is being a bitch!” </p><p>“Does he need to be punished?” Dream teased as he made his way over to the kitchen cabinets. </p><p>“What is <em> wrong </em>with you?!” George shouted indignantly, drawing loud laughs from the other two.</p><p>Wilbur chuckled from his seat at the table. He liked the Dream Team, he really hadn’t wanted too and he wasn’t sure he’d call them friends, but they weren’t all that bad. The Dream Team he’d seen in the war was completely different from the guys in front of him. It was weird to think that the Sapnap who scream at a zombie banging on the door was the pyromaniac that had burnt down Tubbo’s home or that the same George who fretted over his every move had once helped detonate the TNT that ripped his home to shreds in front of him just a year ago. And Dream…he had taken two of Tommy’s lives without batting an eye, on top of all that happened between them before L’Manberg, but Dream had been his emotional crutch through most of the past few days.</p><p>If he had been told not even an hour before the attack on Pogtopia that the thought of never being able to talk to the trio made him disappointed, he wouldn’t have believed it. Maybe it was a biased, tunnel vision of who they truly were but it had been so easy to boil the team down to the worst things they had done. It was hypocritical, after all, he wasn’t exactly the hero he had convinced everyone else he was, the election had taught him that the hard way. Everyone was a bit of a villain at the end of that day, in one way or another, who was Wilbur to judge them for it?</p><p>Maybe he trusted them a bit more than he was willing to admit.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>FIRST OF ALL I'VE BEEN SAYING FOR MONTHS ANTI-HERO MERCENARY C!PUNZ AND GUESS WHAT I WAS RIGHT I CAN'T BE A PUNZ APOLOGIST IF HE'S NEVER DONE ANYTHING WRONG!!! Also fuck c!Dream that bitch can choke in prison &lt;3 Avenger's Endgame is my favorite movie :D Charlie Slimecicle better be joining tomorrow or I throw hands  </p><p>Also I've found the best way to write is while a stream plays on my computer, my zoom class is going on my school laptop and blasting Taylor Swift from my phone. In summary I'm simply built different</p><p>ALSO also I've published two one-shots I've put in a collection with this story (one about Philza and one is a c!dnf fic for my friends sister as part of a deal) so if y'all wanna check those out that'd be very pog :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Decisions Made</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Dream Team goes to talk to Eret</p><p>Eret debates his decision </p><p>Tubbo and Quackity have a conversation</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(I've completely given up on chapter names lol)</p><p>This is a huuuuuge chapter lmaoo I hope that makes up for how long it's taken to be written </p><p>I've been writing to keep myself awake in class now that I'm partially back to in person so I've been writing a bit more so that's pretty pog maybe it'll help with my chronic late posting but I do say that every time lol I also already have a large part of the next chapter already written so hopefully, I will update before next month lmao </p><p>Dream/Eret/Tubbo POV<br/>(We're doing three bc it's my fic and I make the rules)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eret’s castle was certainly impressive. Dream had never seen the appeal of grandness, not for material things. Had it not been for Sapnap and George he likely wouldn’t even have a house. The building itself was nicely constructed, with its high ceilings and ornate stained glass. The concept was quite open; there was no large gate keeping the common folk out, it was the opposite. With an exception for a few guards, there was nothing preventing anyone from walking right in. If Dream had to bet, that design choice had been on purpose.</p><p>He hadn’t gotten to speak to Eret much, not on any meaningful level, it had always been small talk or politics. But the desperation to be accepted rolled off the king like tidal waves back in the first few months of his rule. Dream couldn’t blame him, he had betrayed everyone he knew to rule over a people that didn’t think he deserved his crown. Allowing his doors open created a bond with the people in what they probably felt was a personal level. Eret had wanted to be liked and if there was one thing Dream understood about the monarch it was that he got what he wanted. It was a smart political move but idiotic if Eret even made trigger-happy enemies. </p><p>“Do you want to take the lead?” George asked beside him, drawing Dream’s eyes and thoughts away from the castle before them. </p><p>“Maybe you should,” Dream said after a moment of consideration, “I’m more of a negative figure in all of this. Out of us three, you’re the most neutral.”</p><p>George nodded, casting his own eyes towards the stone fortress, “Do we tell him about Wilbur?”</p><p>Dream debated the idea for a few seconds, “Not yet,” He almost felt bad about keeping such a secret from all the people who mourned the former president’s death. It’s what needed to be done, though. The more people who knew the truth, the higher the chance for it to get out-- they couldn’t risk Schlatt knowing yet. It also meant more people with targets on their backs-- Dream couldn’t handle more of their blood on his hands.</p><p>“Alright, let’s go,” George said, gesturing for Dream to take the lead. The smaller man turned around slightly as Dream began to walk forward, “Sapnap! You nimrod, come on!”</p><p>The man in question stopped in his tracks a few feet away from the duo. He cast a glare towards the chicken he had been chasing while the other two were discussing their plan, “You’re fucking lucky,” Sapnap mumbled under his breath, walking over towards George.</p><p>“I can’t believe you got outsmarted by a chicken,” George commented, moving to catch up with Dream, who was waiting at the top of the castle stairs. </p><p>“I can’t believe you’re a little bitch,” Sapnap teased back, starling a wheezing laugh from the masked man and an affronted gasp from the other.</p><p>The ensuing insult battle carried on until the trio reached the large oak doors that separated them from the throne room. <em> Weird, </em> Dream thought, <em> the doors are usually open. </em></p><p>“Should we knock?” Sapnap asked after a confused silence had settled over the group.</p><p>George nodded, raising his hand to pound it against the wood, “If he’s in a meeting we don’t want to interrupt.”</p><p>George knocked on the door before taking a step back. A heavy silence blanketed them once again, the reality of their situation catching back up. Tommy’s fate would be decided based on how the meeting would go, they needed Eret to agree to this or they were back to square one. They were out of time. </p><p>The sound of footsteps echoed through the doors, pausing as the large doors creaked open. Dream had expected to be greeted by the royal but instead, he came face to face with a small woman. She looked familiar, though Dream couldn’t quite place where he knew her from. The smile that had adorned her face dropped in seconds as she took in the three faces before her. </p><p>“You’ve made a big mistake coming here after what you’ve done,” The woman spoke slowly, her voice promising an unspoken threat as she locked eyes with George. </p><p>Dream instinctually stepped closer to the two, ready to act as a shield if need be. It was clear he could take her in a fight, based on stature alone but there was an anger in her eyes that told him that wouldn’t stop her.</p><p>“Niki?” A deep voice cut in before either party could act. <em> Niki, right, she had changed. </em>There was a hardness behind the softness that once accompanied her face. The past few months hadn’t been kind to her. </p><p>In less than a second, the doors were pulled open wider, revealing the man they were looking for. The red blazer Eret usually wore was missing along with the golden crown that always haloed his head, he looked far less like a king than Dream had ever seen him before. If it wasn’t for the elegant black tunic he still wore he could have been mistaken for a common citizen. His eyebrows were creased in concern, a worried frown pulled at his usually smiling face.</p><p>Much like the smaller women before him, once Eret tore his eyes away from Niki to see who had upset her, the worry melted away into silent anger. Ever the politician, he quickly smoothed over his features and forced a polite smile onto his face but not before the three quests took note of the sudden shifts. </p><p>“Dream, Sapnap, George, I wasn’t expecting you,” Eret said. Dream noted the lack of a handshake. Although Eret was the king, he had always made an effort to treat the team with a certain level of respect. Dream decided not to comment on it, odds were he was reading too heavily into the situation, but the duo’s reaction to their arrival had pushed him on edge. Something was different than normal. </p><p>“Sorry for dropping by unannounced,” George apologized, “We need to talk to you, it’s important. If you have the time, of course.” </p><p>“Actually--” Niki began but Eret placed a hand on her shoulder, cutting off her protests. </p><p>“I’ve got this,” He said to her, briefly making eye contact, something unspoken passing between them, “This way,” He instructed, turning back and gesturing behind the trio, away from the throne room. </p><p>That in itself was weird. They always held their meetings in a council room located at the top of the spiral staircase closest to the throne. More relaxed check-ins usually consisted of Eret sitting on the golden chair while the other sat on whatever surface was available. Moving the location wouldn’t have been overtly odd had the two occupants of the center room not acted suspiciously. They were up to something, Dream was sure of it. Whatever the duo was planning he hoped it wouldn’t interfere with his plan. He’d investigate it when they were done with their own plan. </p><p>The four men walked in silence until they reached a secondary meeting room. The room itself was less secure than the usual one, but it was secluded enough from the rest of the castle that it balanced back out. </p><p>“So, gentlemen, what do I owe the visit to?” Eret asked, lowering himself down into one of the wooden chairs that surrounded the circular table in the center of the room, gesturing for the others to follow.</p><p>“We do apologize for just showing up, I hope you weren’t too busy,” George responded, sliding into his best diplomatic voice. </p><p>“Yes, please excuse my appearance. Niki and I were doing some work in the garden,” Eret explained with a fake smile. The smile was supposed to be convincing them that nothing was wrong but to Dream, it looked as though the small talk was causing him pain. The smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, the dullness in them standing out against the usually bright blue. <em> Something was going on they didn’t know about. </em></p><p>“How is she by the way? I haven’t seen her in a while,” George asked. </p><p>“Since Schlatt announced Wilbur’s <em> murder, </em> yes I remember. I didn’t think you’d care how she was, honestly,” Eret all but spat, his smile growing sharper, the tone never changing from the pleasant, conversational one despite the growing aggression behind it. </p><p>George shuffled in his chair, clearly, he picked up on the sudden changes as well, “What do you mean by that?” He asked, the defensive nature barely masking his discomfort.</p><p>The king sat forward in his seat. Dream watched cautiously from where he sat, ready to intervene if need be. Eret wasn’t a fighter, not really. No, Eret was a different kind of threat but no less dangerous when he wanted to be. He had power and people fiercely loyal to him, whether he recognized it or not. They were guests in <em> his </em> castle, with <em> his </em> guards waiting on <em> his </em> word, asking <em> him </em> for a favor. It didn’t matter how good of a fighter any of them was when a whole kingdom was after them, especially if any one of them laid a hand on the king. Eret had all the power in the room and he knew it. This wasn’t going as planned, something had changed. </p><p>“Oh nothing, I’ve just noticed you don’t seem to actually care about most people,” Eret said, false-sweetness still coating his words.</p><p>“What--”</p><p>“I’m very busy, what would you like?” He pushed, finally dropping the faux tone, sitting back in his seat, the smile barely playing on his lips.</p><p>A thick silence wrapped around the room. The three guests shared a quick look, silently debating whether or not to continue. They needed Eret to agree. Schlatt had to be out of the nation for the plan to go as best as it could. Dream gave George a small nod, encouraging him to continue. </p><p>“We need you to meet with Schlatt in five days, just before the festival begins,” George answered, putting his business front back up, composing himself quickly. </p><p>Eret gave them all a look of disbelief, “Why would I do that? Schlatt has looked me in the eyes and told me he hoped we went to war, why would I invite that man into my home? Not just mine but all those people who live here?” He shook his head at the idea.</p><p>George took a deep breath before responding, “It would just have to be for a little bit.” </p><p>“If I was to agree to this, what would this meeting be for? He hasn’t tried to contact me about anything and, no offense if he wants to start having meetings he should contact me himself, not send his lackeys to do so,” Eret said, raising an eyebrow at the other brit.</p><p>“Look, I know I’ve given you no reason to trust me as of late and that’s a big deal at this time but we can’t explain further until you agree,” George said instead of an answer, clearly trying to restrain himself from snapping back. </p><p>“Why?” Eret pushed again.</p><p>“We need to know you’re on our side,” George answered.</p><p>Eret scoffed at the reply, rolling his eyes behind the sunglasses, before making eye contact again, “I’m not agreeing to something before knowing what I’m agreeing to!”</p><p>George exhaled sharply, visibly annoyed with the response, “You have to.” </p><p>“I don’t have to do anything, I’m the king here,” Eret reminded the other.</p><p>“And who gave you that crown?” George asked sharply. </p><p>Silence once again encased the room as the four men realized what George had said. The man in question opened his mouth, trying to find something to say but was stopped by the monarchy, who spoke first, “I’m busy, we’re done here. Tell Schlatt he can fuck himself for all I care. I don’t make deals with dictators,” He said, standing up from the table and making his way to the closed door.</p><p>“I’m not as big of a fan of Schlatt as you seem to think,” George finally said, standing up himself.</p><p>“Could have fooled me,” The king replied, a sarcastic smile adorning his face once again as he turned back around to face the trio.  </p><p>“And we certainly are not in favor of him, that isn’t what this is about,” George continued, ignoring the comment. The monarch mumbled something to himself in response, just quiet enough that Dream couldn’t make out what he said, “Why are you suddenly convinced I’m evil?” </p><p>“I have my reasons and frankly I don’t you owe anything, let alone an explanation,“ Eret answered, folding his arms in front of himself.</p><p>“I do care,” George said, though it sounded more like a plea. </p><p>Eret puffed a breath of air through his nose, “Maybe when it’s convenient.” </p><p>What little restraint George had left seemed to snap with the comment, “I will not be lectured about conditional loyalty from <em> you </em> of all people.” </p><p>Ice seemed to coat the room, freezing everything in its place for a second. Nothing but time moved as the words settled in around the group. Dream closed his eyes, sending a silent prayer to the Gods that they could recover from this. Eret acting hostile was not expected nor was Niki’s aggression but George was usually better at controlling his temper, especially when it mattered so much. There was an unspoken rule when it came to talking with Eret; do not bring up the Final Control Room, nor L’Manberg as a whole if possible.</p><p>Eret turned around fully, a silent furry painting his face. His usually kind face was now made of hard lines and a painfully calm expression, “You are a president of Manberg, a nation I am no longer allies with. I have every right to throw you in jail. I do not care about former allegiances nor you’re past significance here, that is the past. Do not come back or I will have you locked up for trespassing. Now I have things to do, get out of my house before I have you removed,” He instructed, dangerously calm. If one last glance around the room, he opened the door and left, leaving the three guests behind.</p><p>Sapnap glanced over at Dream, eyebrows creased and mouth pinched in a small frown. They both turned their attention back to their smaller friend, who stood staring at the place the king once stood, eyes wide. Dream stood up cautiously, gently walking over to check on George, “George, you good?” </p><p>The question was left unanswered. As soon as the question left the blonde’s mouth the shocked expression that painted the other’s face morphed into one of anger before he stormed out of the room.</p><p>The others chased after him until they reached the outskirts of the castle, “George!” Sapnap called, grabbing the other man’s wrist as they finally caught up to the other, keeping him from walking further, “What is wrong with you?!” </p><p>“What?!” George demanded, ripping his hand from the other’s grip, spinning on his heels to face the man in the white shirt, “What do you mean what’s wrong with <em> me?” </em></p><p>“There is literally one single thing you shouldn’t do when trying to get on Eret’s good side, dipshit!” Sapnap shouted back, “What the <em> fuck </em> was that?!” </p><p>“He’s the one that decided to start going off about how I don’t care about people! For no reason, what was I supposed to do? Not get upset?” George asked, gesturing wildly towards the castle behind them. The look on his face was hard to read, somewhere between furious and wounded.</p><p>“Yes! He isn’t trying to get life-saving favors from you! We need him and you may have just cost Tommy his life!” Sapnap pointed out, “You get to tell Wilbur about this,” He said, anger dissipating in something more akin to disappointment.</p><p>George seemed to deflate at the reminder as to why they had gone to see Eret in the first place. His tense shoulders shagged as his face followed the action, his eyes going wide with realization. This had gone much worse than it should have. Even if Eret did truly believe George was loyal to Schlatt he shouldn’t have acted like that. In the year and a half that Dream had known Eret, not once had he ever reacted like that to someone, not even when the person deserved it. Eret had been nicer to Schlatt himself than to George when his excuse for doing so was that Goerge worked for the president. There was something deeper going on.</p><p>“There has to be a reason for the way he acted in there, there has to be,” Dream said. The other two had to have noticed how weird the interaction as a whole had been, or at least Sapnap must have. </p><p>“They were both acting a bit off,” Sapnap agreed, “What are you thinking?”</p><p>“I’m not sure,” He answered honestly, “But, like, Niki was being hyper-aggressive too. I don’t know her all that well but from what I’ve heard and remember she’s one of the nicest people in this world. Besides, Eret just doesn’t act like that, I mean he threatened to throw you in jail!” Dream exclaimed, the gravity of the words spoken in the meeting room finally settling in fully.</p><p>“Maybe it has to do with whatever they were doing in the throne room?” Sapnap offered, though even he sounded unsure of the suggestion.</p><p>“Gardening doesn’t usually make people act like that,” Dream mumbled, shaking his head, trying to come up with a different solution.</p><p>“Maybe it has to do with Tubbo?” Sapnap offered again, his steel-blue eyes focused on the colorful castle.</p><p>That caught Dream off guard, the music that accompanied his thoughts pausing at the words, “What do you mean?”</p><p>“Just before George asked what made Eret think he was evil, Eret said something about asking Tubbo but it was too quiet for me to hear exactly what he said,” Sapnap explained, suddenly unsure of his comment.</p><p>“Are you sure he said ‘Tubbo’?” </p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Son of a--” George spoke up, drawing the other two sets of eyes back to him, “Tubbo is mad at me for not telling him about Wilbur before Schlatt’s announcement. Or something like that, I’m not too sure considering <em> he won’t talk to me,” </em> He elaborated.</p><p>It added up. If Tubbo believed Wilbur and likely Tommy to be dead, he’d probably try to find the second closest thing to family for comfort. Fundy is wrapped around Schlatt’s finger and Jack Manifold was still doing business off-world, which only left Niki and Eret as the remaining members of the original L’Manberg platoon. Of course he’d go to them despite Eret’s betrayal. Tubbo had always been far too kind, though it seemed that may have changed. </p><p>“So what? Tubbo went to Eret afterward and got him to hate you too? That doesn’t sound like Tubbo. And why would he go to Eret of all people?” Sapnap questioned. </p><p>George shook his head slightly, “Tubbo isn’t like himself right now, he’s pissed. He thinks Wilbur is dead and Tommy is missing. And who knows, maybe he didn’t even mean to go to Eret. Niki is here and she and Wilbur are close, he may have come here and found Niki with Eret and decided to just go with it.”</p><p>“Sure, we have a potential why but what do we do with any of this?” Sapnap asked, “If Tubbo is involved or not, it seems like they all have their minds made up.”</p><p>“If Tubbo was the one to get them to hate us, maybe he can get them to trust us again,” Dream offered. They couldn’t go back to the castle again and odds were that Niki wouldn’t be leaving it anytime soon, Tubbo was the only chance they had, “Even if Tubbo wasn’t, there’s no way Niki and Eret wouldn’t welcome him with open arms, they’d talk to him if he asked.”</p><p>“Fine but he refuses to talk to me, he thinks I’m loyal to Schlatt. If he was the one that got them that upset can you imagine how he will react?” George pointed out, crossing his arms in front of his chest. </p><p>Dream sighed, this was a mess. He shouldn’t have expected it to go well, nothing in their lives seemed able to go smoothly when they wanted it to, “There has to be a way to get him to trust you again.”</p><p>The three men stood thinking for a few seconds before George dropped his arms to his side with a huff, “There is,” He began, “Tommy asked to see Tubbo, I told him it likely wasn’t possible. Along with the stuff to call Wilbur’s brother, he said that was the only thing that could get him to trust me.”</p><p>“Reuniting them would get both of their trusts,” Sapnap nodded.</p><p>It was risky, but if it was the only option available then they had to take it. It would be best if Tubbo didn’t know just yet but if they were right about him, Eret and Niki then he would have found out anyway, “Alright, George can you message Tubbo and ask to meet with him tomorrow? Just say whatever it takes to get him there and then take him to see Tommy. Once that’s done, talk to him about Eret, we need this to work.” </p><p>The smaller man nodded his head at the plan, “Should I tell them about Schlatt’s plan?”</p><p>Sapnap answered the question, “They deserve to know, and besides, Eret would probably tell him anyways, he might get mad at you for not being honest again. Plus, it’s Tommy and Tubbo if one knows the other will too.” </p><p>Dream voiced his agreement with the point. It wasn’t ideal but they were running out of time, “Don’t tell them about Wilbur, though. It’s not necessary to plan; they can be mad at us once they’re safe.” </p><p>“I’ll message him when we get back home,” George said, turning to begin the long walk back to their house.</p><p>Sapnap let out a loud groan, throwing his head back dramatically beside Dream, “I forgot we have to go back,” he complained, “What are we supposed to tell him?”</p><p>There wasn’t a question who the man in the white shirt was talking about, “We can just tell him that we’re working on it. No need to mention any of what happened here yet,” Dream said, patting his friend's shoulder as he began to follow after the vice-president. Wilbur wasn’t going to be happy that they weren’t going to give him a straight answer but it would be better than what hell-storm he’d rain if they told him Eret kicked them out. They’d handle whatever happened tomorrow when it happened, for now, they knew what they needed to do. Fretting over the future just distracts from the now. As Sapnap said, they might have cost Tommy his life if they didn’t fix the mess now. He prayed to the Gods that Tubbo would be reasonable. </p>
<hr/><p>“You’ve been staring at that stone for nearly half an hour,” Niki spoke suddenly breaking the quiet she and Eret had been working in since he’d returned to the garden. </p><p>“Huh? Sorry,” Eret responded, slowly blinking back into reality as he pushed the sunglasses back atop the bridge of his nose from where they had slipped down, “I was just...thinking.” </p><p>He’d been out of it since his return. He truly didn’t mean to be ignoring her, he was just unable to shake the feeling that he had overreacted. He hadn’t even allowed George to explain why Schlatt had wanted a meeting in the first place.</p><p>“What were you thinking about?” The blonde woman asked patiently, setting down the gardening tools she had been using to dig into the ground beside the water fountain. </p><p>“I think I messed up again,” Eret answered honestly, “I should have heard them out.”</p><p>Niki gave him a sympathetic look, “Schlatt is horrible and openly hates you, Eret, nobody in their right mind would want to meet with him.” </p><p>“But George seemed so...hurt. He said he wasn’t as loyal as I thought and they weren’t there for him,” Eret sighed, “And why would he bring Dream and Sapnap to set up a meeting between us? I just feel like I missed something,” Eret elaborated. He most definitely had missed something going on but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what it was. </p><p> </p><p>“Well,” Niki began, “We know that George goes along with Schlatt’s plan; you heard Tubbo, and Dream and Sapnap may be working with him,” She reasoned, resting a reassuring hand on his arm. </p><p>“You’re right,” He knew Niki was right, it was entirely possible that Dream and Sapnap had decided to help Schlatt, they’d always been fans of chaos. He was more surprised that it took this long than that it happened at all. But the feeling in the pit of his stomach persisted. He had listened to Tubbo but there were a million different reasons as to why George may not have told Tubbo about Wilbur; it didn’t excuse the choice but they didn’t know what was going on in the man’s head. Tubbo and Niki were both extremely biased, no matter how much he cared for and trusted them, he needed to take their words with a grain of salt. Eret knew that yet he didn’t and there was no saying what was affected by that. He was the king, it was his job to at least try and hear out all sides. </p><p>Niki sighed lightly, resting her head on his shoulder, “If what Schlatt wanted was so important, he can come to you himself, right? I doubt that it will be anything good anyways.” </p><p>Eret let his eyes wander over to the makeshift gravestone they had built the other day. Schlatt had crossed a lot of lines; he destroyed the ideas that defined L’Manberg, he’d imprisoned its people, murdered Wilbur, and banished Tommy. Niki was right again <em> when wasn’t she? </em> Wherever Schlatt went, misery and destruction followed after him, the last thing Eret wanted was for that to fall upon his people.</p><p>If it was so important they’d reach out again, maybe he’d answer them then, “Let’s cover this hole up again, we’ve been at it for hours,” Eret said, changing the subject with a sigh.</p><p>Niki nodded slightly before detangling herself from the other and standing up, stretching as she did so. They had been digging the hole in the garden since before midday, he doubted it was healthy for them to have sat in the same position for so long. They could work on it more later.</p><p>“I’ll message Tubbo and tell him that they came by, maybe he knows what's going on,” Eret told her as he stood up himself.</p><p>She nodded once again, grabbing the shovel resting against the fountain, “Let’s cover this up first,” She said, passing the tool off to the other and grabbing another for herself, “We can talk to him after.”</p><p>Eret hummed in agreement, stabbing the shovel into the pile of dislodged dirt they had dug up. Hopefully, Tubbo knew what was happening, even just a little bit. </p>
<hr/><p>Tubbo exhaled a deep breath as he stared at the oak door in front of him, Quackity was waiting for him on the other side. Big Q had been given double the amount of work than normal so he had been staying late at the office, and no matter how angry Tubbo was at the vice-president he still felt bad for the guy. It felt like Quackity and himself were the only cabinet members doing any actual work. George had been in the office every day for the past week or so, which was unusual, but Tubbo couldn’t recall seeing him do any work, Fundy was part of the cabinet but he wasn’t treated as such; Everyone knew that Schlatt only gave him the position to hurt Wilbur, well, everyone but the fox himself. That isn’t even to mention Schlatt. Schlatt didn’t like work, he only did what he wanted and that was mostly drinking and working out. </p><p>So Tubbo stuck around when Quackity was alone. Despite being Schlatt’s head servant, Quackity had always tried to calm down the ram-hybrid and do right by the people of L’Manberg, with varying degrees of success. He liked Big Q the most of the four, as of right now. When Quackity messaged him asking to talk, he had reluctantly agreed. Steeling his nerves the teen raised his balled-up hand and knocked them against the wood.</p><p>He waited a few seconds before a muffled voice granted him entry. Normally he would have simply walked right into the room without care and normally Big Q would have yelled, it seemed like they were both off today. </p><p>“Big Q! My maaaan!” Tubbo spoke loudly as he walked in, trying his best to act normally. Eret and Niki had suggested he tried acting like his usual self as much as he could; it was easier when he only had to talk to one person. But the sight of the other caused him to pause. Quackity wasn’t known for being the most organized person but the papers on his desk were messier than normal. Piles of paperwork stacked high on the table and the wood was nearly impossible to see underneath all the other work he had.</p><p>Quackity himself didn’t look better off. His suit jacket had been discarded on a nearby chair and the beanie he was known for was pushed back and barely looked like it was staying on his head, revealing his hair that had been messed up, strands stuck up in nearly every direction. He was hunched over the desk in a position that looked any but comfortable. At the sound of the teen’s voice, though, the older teen straightened himself out and pulled the beanie forward as a bright smile stretched across his face. It was nice, no matter how stressed he was, Big Q always seemed able to smile as though he meant it. </p><p>“Hey, Tubo!” Quackity said with enthusiasm, the nickname rolling off his tongue as if nothing had changed. </p><p>“What do you need, big man?” Tubbo asked, walking over to the desk the avian sat at. </p><p>“Uh,” Quackity began, trailing off into a laugh, “Well! I was hoping that we could...talk, ya know?” He asked, nervousness dripping from every word. </p><p>Tubbo suppressed the eye roll that threatened to come forward. He was almost hoping the others would just continue to ignore his emotions, he wanted to fester in the anger he felt. Tubbo knew himself, if Big Q was going to apologize to him, he’d end up forgiving the other, and he <em> really </em> didn’t want to forgive him, “Sure, what’s up?”</p><p>Quackity sighed, the smile fading from his face, “You know what’s up.”</p><p>“You don’t have to--”</p><p>“Yes I do,” Quackity sighed, “Tubbo, I am sorry.”</p><p>Three words. Three stupid, little words were all it took to bring forth the tears. It felt like he hadn’t been able to stop them since the announcement but he’d gotten so good at keeping them at bay around other people. Not trusting his voice to betray him, Tubbo shook his head vehemently, squeezing his eyes shut before doing so.</p><p>“Tubbo--”</p><p>“No,” The teen whispered desperately. He didn’t want to hear what the other had to say.</p><p><em> “Yes,” </em> Quackity emphasized, standing up from and walking around his messy desk to stand in front of the upset teen, “I <em> am </em>sorry,” He said again, placing a gentle hand on the other’s shoulder, his voice taking on a soft but no less confident tone. </p><p>Quackity subtly began to guide them over to the set of spare chairs that his jacket was draped over, lowering them both down onto the cushions with a calming hand. Tubbo hated this, he didn’t want to be weak anymore yet here he sat crying like a child at a simple apology. He called upon that anger that had been fueling him the past few days, pulling up the memories of the day Schlatt had won the election and the day he announced Wilbur’s death. Once he felt that fire in his heart once again he fanned the flames, letting the passion consume him again. He was not going to be bought back through false words. </p><p>“If you are so sorry,” Tubbo began, taking in a shaky, deep breath and opening his eyes again. He pushed as much of the anger he felt into the words he spoke and based on the way Quackity pulled his hand back, shock painting his features, he had been successful, “Than why, <em> why </em>didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you stop him?!” </p><p>“I didn’t know! He told me the day before the announcement, George too! Maybe I should have told you anyways but I never thought of it, okay? That’s not an excuse but I really just didn’t think about it,” Quackity pleaded, “He told me it was an accident, that Punz and Ponk found their hiding place by accident and had acted on their own, I don’t think I could have stopped what happened no matter how much I would have wanted too,” He explained, regret clear in the way he spoke. </p><p>“And you believe him?” Tubbo asked, pulling some of his anger back in, the tears continuing, “That it was an accident?” </p><p>The older teen sighed deeply, the golden wings behind him sagging with the motion as he ran his fingers through the hair that stuck out from under his beanie, “I-I don’t know, Tubbo,” He forced out, “He said something yesterday that made it sound like...like he had given the order. Maybe Punz and Ponk had actually found it on accident and he told them to….I don’t know what to believe, Tubbo,” He answered honestly. Tubbo wanted to be angry again but there was a pain underneath his words that caused him to stop. Quackity was the most loyal to Schlatt out of everyone in the nation, Tubbo could understand; being so loyal to someone it hurt you, he couldn’t imagine the pain having that loyalty shaken would cause. </p><p>“I’m sorry,” Tubbo whispered.</p><p>“It’s fine,” Quackity dismissed with a smile, “I don’t know what happened, Tubbo but I wanted to apologize. Not just for all that but everything. As much as I’d like to push it all on George, I know there’s blame on me too. Schlatt wouldn’t be in power if I hadn’t made that deal,” He continued, sobering up. </p><p>“Why’d you do it?” Tubbo asked, wiping away the few remaining tears that had fallen.</p><p>Quackity sighed, leaning back into the chair, “When I ran for office, it wasn’t because I didn’t like Wilbur or Tommy, I really do like you all but I saw what L’Manberg could be and it seemed like everyone else wanted it to stay the same. I believed, I <em> do </em>believe, in what L’Manberg stood for and just-- I don’t know. So I asked George to run with me, I don’t know why. He was a friend and he was willing, I figured if it didn’t work out I could find someone else,” He explained, looking up at the ceiling, “When George didn’t show up I panicked, Schlatt had no running mate and we were also friends, it made sense to pool together. He had promised he was running to help improve the nation too and I trusted him. I never thought it would go this far. He’s changed.”</p><p>“Changed?” Tubbo asked, his curiosity piqued. The whisper device buzzed in his pocket but he ignored it in favor of focusing his attention on the other.</p><p>“He’s gotten cruel. There are things I want to tell you but I <em> can’t. </em> I think he’d kill me, I genuinely believe he would take all my lives and laugh as he did it,” Quackity confessed, “He wants to break the people, make them submissive to his whims and <em> Gods </em> the way he plans on doing it. I tried to talk him out of it, Tubbo, I really did but I couldn’t.” </p><p>“Quackity,” Tubbo said, fear suddenly clutching his heart. His eyebrows furrowed in worry, the other's voice sounded scared; scared yet resigned, as if he had already accepted the fate of everything, “What is Schlatt planning?”</p><p>Quackity focused his eyes back on the kid, “I can’t tell you. But I’m sorry. That will never cover it or make it okay, I know you are going to hate me again and you aren’t ever going to forgive me, and that’s okay. I’ve accepted your hatred.”</p><p>“Quack--” </p><p>“I don’t know everything. I know what the end game is but I don’t know any details but that doesn’t make me any less guilty,” Quackity continued, ignoring the other, tears filling his eyes this time, “If I were you, I’d leave. Find a nice place and stay there. That’s what I want to do when this is all over.” </p><p>Tubbo stared at the other, unsure of what to say. It was clear Quackity wasn’t going to be telling him what Schlatt was planning but whatever it was, it didn’t sound good. Whatever the plan, it was enough to break the man in front of him, break the trust that he was known for. </p><p>Quackity sniffled before letting out a weak laugh accompanied by a forced smile that looked a bit too practiced for Tubbo’s liking, he wiped away his tears before standing up again, “I just wanted to apologize, not only about before but for what's to come. I’d change it if I could, for what it’s worth,” He said smiling down at the kid, “I’ve got work to do. You should go home.”</p><p>With that, he walked back to the messy desk and sat down again. Not once had the golden wings lifted again. Tubbo hesitated before standing up himself, it felt wrong leaving now. Quackity had all but told him that he was living day-to-day in fear that Schlatt would kill him and that Schlatt was planning something horrible but he had made it clear that Tubbo should go. </p><p>Tubbo opened his mouth, once again trying to find something to say but finding that nothing quite fit. Instead, he turned towards the doors, leaving behind the tense air and cryptic words. He wished that Quackity had just told him what he was talking about, it clearly would affect him but he understood the hesitation. Maybe he could figure it out on his own? He should tell Eret and Niki about this. </p><p>He ran a hand through his hair as he walked down the hallway. It was getting long, the blonde highlights he once had were nearly completely gone and the brown locks completely covered the small horns on his head. A fact he was endlessly grateful for, they reminded him of Schlatt, he hadn’t minded them before but since the ram-hybrid had entered the picture he had begun to resent them. Sighing, he dropped his hand back to his side. Maybe he should go home.</p><p>The teen moved to turn around, in the direction of the exit, when his whisper device vibrated again. The brunet paused in his walk, reaching into his pocket to pull it out. His eyebrows furrowed as he frowned at the device. The message was a simple <em> ‘We need to talk.’ </em> sent twice, but that isn’t what made him confused. The message came from two different people, asking the same thing; George and Eret. </p><p>Tubbo sighed, pocketing the device. He’d answer Eret when he got home, George could wait for all he cared. No way this was an accident and he was not looking forward to figuring out what happened.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Dream: It's not really a miscommunication plot, we have to keep things secret so that no one gets murdered<br/>Eret, ready to cause problems and become the petty bitch he is: ItS nOt A miScOmmUnICaTiOn pLOt</p><p>Also, just bc I want to share, I hc that after the control room and before Nov 16 Eret only wore black shirts with his red coat bc the L'Manberg uniform was blue and white and he felt too guilty to even resemble it &lt;3&lt;3</p><p>I've also decided to use Twitter again so if you want to come to yell at me to update, ask questions or just be friends idk, come say hi it’s @Luci__Lith with the moon (I’ve also gotten into digital art recently so I may post some of that over there as well)</p><p>Thank you all so much for being patient and still caring about this story, it means the world!! &lt;3 don't forget to check out the series this is added to, I have more fics planned/ am working on if you like my writing!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Reunion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tubbo and Tommy see each other again</p>
<p>George finally tells people what is going on...kinda</p>
<p>Phone calls are made</p>
<p>Mistakes are rectified</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter but oh well, you only live once</p>
<p>Brought to you by Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, and toast</p>
<p>Tubbo POV and ??? a new person joins the game</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tubbo hadn’t been sure what to expect when he answered Eret’s message. They’d agreed to try and keep whisper communication to as little as possible, as to avoid potential suspicion. They had planned on meeting up the next night which meant whatever had happened had to have been important, pair that with George’s similar message; The teen had been less than excited to make the call. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Eret’s exhausted voice explained what had happened earlier that day it made a bit more sense. The king was obviously not happy with how he had acted if the broken tone and little comments were anything to go off of. Tubbo knew he should have tried to comfort his friend but after his conversation with Quackity, he couldn’t find it in himself to hide the satisfaction he felt over the encounter. He hadn't been there but what he wouldn’t give to see the vice president’s face as Eret called him out on his bullshit. It seemed like Niki had a similar sentiment, though she at least waited until Eret was out of earshot when he handed the device over to her to share such. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were hoping that maybe he knew why Schlatt had wanted to set up a meeting but the president never mentioned anything close to that, at least not around Tubbo. He had told them about his conversation with Big Q, which received mixed reactions. Niki hadn’t cared about his apology over Wilbur’s murder, but she had eventually agreed he did seem sorry for what was to come. Eret had tried to play a bit more neutrally, arguing that maybe Quackity was genuinely sorry, especially if Schlatt hadn’t told him about Wilbur until the day before everyone else. The one thing they could agree on was that what happened at Pogtopia couldn’t have been an accident, it was just all too perfect for it to be an accident. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After the phone call ended with promises of meeting later, Tubbo had had half a mind to simply ignore George’s message. He had heard what the other wanted from Eret, and even though the other spared the specifics of what George said to him, it couldn’t have been good. George had lied to him, hurt his friends, and he wanted to </span>
  <em>
    <span>talk.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>But he needed to play it safe, there was a chance it could be entirely separate from what had happened at the castle. For all George knew, Tubbo wasn’t working with Eret or Niki. He could just need something for work. So, with reluctance, the teen had messaged the other brit back. The reply had come almost instantly as if he had been waiting on his message. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>George had asked if Tubbo could meet him in his office the next morning, Schlatt had given him a large assignment and he needed a bit of help. Tubbo had rolled his eyes at the request. When had George ever had enough work to the point he needed help? But Tubbo agreed nonetheless. Odds were it was some paperwork he didn’t know how to file, Tubbo had been scheduled to work on the festival decorates but Karl had been helping out a bit more, so maybe the colorful man would be willing to take over for the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now here Tubbo stood the next morning, waiting for the older man to show up. The teen had been leaning against the wall just outside the other’s office for maybe thirty minutes and he had half a mind to walk away. He knew George had a habit of sleeping through things so if the other wasn’t going to bother showing, he had his own job to attend to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a huff, the brunet pushed himself off of the wall. As he began to walk down the hallway towards the festival grounds, George’s voice called out stopping him in his tracks. With a roll of his eyes, the teen turned around to face the man that was walking down the hallway towards him, forcing a smile onto his face, “There you are big man, I thought you’d slept in,” Tubbo said with a small laugh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sorry about being late, I’ve got a pretty moody roommate,” George apologized, adjusting the strap on the large bag he carried with him. Honestly, Tubbo couldn’t care less about why he was late, just because Dream or Sapnap was being weird didn’t give</span>
  <em>
    <span> him </span>
  </em>
  <span>an excuse. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure. Now, what’d you need help with?” Tubbo said, moving on from the comment and giving the bag a confused glance. Never had a vice president been given a task that had involved manual work, that was usually left to him or a third party. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope you aren't too busy, it may take a while,” George responded instead of answering the question, turning to unlock the office door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The teen rolled his eyes behind the older man's back. He had been busy, quite busy in fact but he doubted that the other actually cared about that, “Nope, just festival work but Karl should be there today.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” George apologized again as he pushed the door open and walked in. Tubbo followed after him, he elected to stand before the large desk instead of taking a seat. Maybe George would take a hint and realize he didn’t want to spend time talking, “How have you been?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The smaller brunet rolled his eyes once again, how did George honestly expect the answer to be? Maybe once upon a time, Tubbo would have leaped at the opportunity to have someone in Manberg to talk to but George had betrayed him. Well, it may be a bit dramatic to call it a betrayal seeing as there was no trust to begin with, but Tubbo had wanted to believe there could have been one day. But that chance was gone now, no matter how hard George was trying, he should have told Tubbo the moment he had found out about Wilbur if he actually cared about his well-being, “Fine, you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A bit stressed,” George answered honestly, checking the contents of his bag, “This work Schlatt’s given me isn’t exactly easy,” He complained. The frustration Tubbo felt only grew at the comment, what did George have to stress over? Before whatever this assignment was he’d never been asked to do anything! What right did he have to complain?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ya know, you still haven’t told me what this assignment is,” Tubbo pointed out, trying to get some answers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The older man sighed, turning to face the kid, “I’ll be honest, you’re not supposed to know about any of this,” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, that wasn’t comforting,</span>
  </em>
  <span> “It’s a bit away, down in the basement so try and act subtly until we get there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be honest big man, that’s a very suspicious thing to say,” Tubbo said with a nervous laugh. The more George talk the less he wanted to go with the man, which he hadn’t thought could get any lower.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” George mumbled with a sigh, “It seems like most things I do now are suspicious but I promise it’s for your own safety.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The promise wasn’t exactly comforting like Tubbo assumed it was meant to be but the logic checked out he supposed, it wasn’t like he had much of a choice at this point, “Fine, let’s go then,” He said, gesturing back towards the office door. George checked the black bag again before picking it up and walking towards the exit, giving the smaller boy an awkward smile as he passed by.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was obvious George was not used to talking to other people he didn’t know very well. It was hilarious watching him try to figure it out, it made a small break in an otherwise aggravating situation. George quickly locked the door behind himself as they began the walk towards the basement. It was awkward, to say the least, George looking anywhere but to the side Tubbo walked along, clearly uncomfortable with the silence but unwilling to talk. It was almost endearing, Tubbo quickly dispelled the thought though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He never understood the hesitancy to talk to new people. Tubbo had been the most reserve of the L’Manberg crew but that didn’t mean he wasn’t loud himself, he just preferred to go along with the others' chaos as opposed to making his own, less blame that way. Eret had been pretty similar to George, keeping it business with new people and having fun with those he knew. Maybe in a different world, they could have been friends, Eret needed more of those. Eret had his fair share of moments, especially when Wilbur was in an excitable mood. Those two had fed off of each other's energy so much </span>
  <em>
    <span>before,</span>
  </em>
  <span> they had kinda reminded Tubbo of Tommy and himself. In a weird way they still did, both himself and Eret were in positions of governing but there was a morally skewed man dictating how far they could go. Wilbur and Tommy were gone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The teen let out a deep sigh, he didn’t like thinking about it but for some stupid reason, his thoughts always ended in the same place. The action finally made the older man look over at the kid, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, a small frown accompanying them. Tubbo ignored the look, like hell Tubbo was going to tell </span>
  <em>
    <span>George Not Found</span>
  </em>
  <span> his depressing thoughts in the middle of a White House hallway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully George dropped the look and continued to face forward when he realized he wasn’t getting an answer. Tubbo let his thoughts wander again, as much as he hated doing so it was better than walking in silence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>George confused him. Tubbo hated him for it but not really. It would be easier if the man could pick which side he was going to be on. One second he’s playing Schlatt’s foot soldier, neglecting sharing world-shattering truths, the next he’s silently asking if he was okay because of a sigh. It didn’t make any sense. George kept repeating that things weren’t as they seemed, yet he refused to tell anyone what was really happening. It felt as though all of this was a test set up by Schlatt. Testing other’s loyalty, trying to find a way to go to war, that was all definitely things that Schlatt would do. The only thing that didn’t make sense was that it was George. Schlatt didn’t trust George, he made that very clear at every meeting, though that could be an act so the others wouldn’t be suspicious of him. Honestly, Tubbo wasn’t sure what to think anymore, everything seemed overly confusing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The teen jumped as George’s voice broke the silence, “We’re here,” Tubbo looked up at the inconspicuous spruce door before him, it was the door that led down to the basement. He hadn’t been down since Schlatt had the renovations done, he wasn’t allowed to. An uneasy feeling made its way into his stomach, he wasn’t excited for his first time going in to be alone with George. He really should have told Niki and Eret where he was going, at least then they could have found his body. Give him a nice grave next to Wilbur, “The room we’re going to is pretty deep in it,” George added. That did nothing to ease the anxiety eating him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, Tubbo simply nodded, it was a bit late to back out now. The walk down to the second level of the basement was relatively short, filled with more silence. Honestly, he didn’t know there was a second level but he was getting pretty used to not knowing things. The pair stopped as George pulled out the key he assumed went with the large door before them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo glanced up at the iron door before him as George adjusted the bag. He didn’t recognize it, it must be one of the newer additions Schlatt had added to their basement, along with the second level. He cautiously watched as George moved ahead to unlock the metal door, he pulled it open to reveal a large empty room.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“George?” Tubbo asked, he prayed to the Gods the fear crushing his throat hadn’t made its way into his words as he walked in. Geroge had refused to tell him where exactly they were headed, Gods what if Schlatt knew about him meeting with Eret and Niki?! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just trust me for a few seconds longer, okay?” George asked, giving the teen a reassuring smile. But the effects were immediately lost as George turned back around and closed the door, locking them in the room alone. Tubbo didn’t think George was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fully</span>
  </em>
  <span> loyal to Schlatt, at least that’s how it seemed, and considering the way Schlatt had talked about the brit the thought was a common one but he had also played along with the plan to announce Wilbur’s death. Which meant he had to have known about it beforehand and had deliberately sought Tubbo out that morning with full knowledge of the pain he was about to be put through, not to mention what had happened with Eret. It was adding up to be a morbid picture. At least if he died he could see Wilbur again, maybe even Tommy. Eret and Niki would forgive him, wouldn’t they?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George walked past the brunet, towards the back of the room, and began moving some of the dirt and hay that covered the stone floor. For a second Tubbo didn’t see the assuring smile nor the black suit, instead, his vision swam with angry sneers and a blue t-shirt. They weren’t in the White House’s basement but the jungle just outside the nation's walls. The smell of smoke was suffocating him, making it impossible to breathe.</span>
</p><p><em><span>An arrow embedded itself in the tree right next to his head.</span></em> <em><span>Fuck, George was going to kill him! Where was Tommy?! He needed to get back to Tommy, Gods Wilbur was going to be pissed--</span></em></p><p>
  <span>“Tubbo?!” A worried voice was yelling at him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That wasn’t right, he was alone in the jungle, except for George, Sapnap, and Dream. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The flames from the burning building licked at the blue uniform he was wearing. The villagers he had invited to the trade center were all running around, Tubbo thought he could hear someone screaming but it was nearly impossible to hear anything over the roaring fire. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo flinched back as he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. His eyes flew open taking in the room he was in, </span>
  <em>
    <span>when had he closed them?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He was back in the mystery room, miles upon miles away from his old jungle base. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tubbo?” Tubbo closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before he opened them again, looking back at the man in front of him. George had moved his goggles to the top of his head in order to get a better look at the kid, his eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were clouded with worry, searching the other’s face for any sign as to what was wrong. He looked just like he had after Schlatt’s announcement, “Hey, take some deep breaths,” He instructed as he brought the teen’s hand to rest against his chest, guiding the others' breathing pattern.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo listened to the instructions as best as he could. It took several minutes for his breathing to return to normal while George whispered comforting words to help calm him down and walked him through the senses exercise Eret had once told him about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” Tubbo softly whispered once he no longer felt like he was suffocating. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize,” George said gently, “I’m sorry for being vague. I swear nothing bad is going to happen, Schlatt doesn’t know we’re here. There’s a secret trap door near that back wall, it leads down into a holding cell, and there’s something you need to see in it. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Wilbur, but there’s a lot more going on than you know, and I hope this can make up for it,” George explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo nodded silently, the explanation was still vague and didn’t do much to elaborate on what was going on but...the apology was nice. It didn’t make up for what he did and the odds that whatever George was going to show him wasn’t going to either, but it seemed genuine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ready?” George asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo nodded again, “Yeah, I’m ready.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>George gave his shoulder a squeeze before standing back up and making his way back to where he had been messing with the floor. Just as George had said, there on the floor was an iron trapdoor leading down into a dark room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>George opened the hatch before pulling out a torch and lighting it, illuminating the dark room slightly. He picked up the bag he must have put down and threw it back on this shoulder. The older man gave him a quick smile before he began making his way down the ladder first, which Tubbo was thankful for. If it were a trap, George would have made him go first, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo slowly made his way down the ladder himself once George reached the bottom. The sound of heavy metal hitting the stone floor filled his ears as he reached the bottom of the entrance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tubbo!” Wait--he knew that voice!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could turn around and look at the room, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist pulling him into a hug. He let out a small shout as he was suddenly lifted and spun around in a circle before he was put back on the ground. Tubbo quickly turned around, he needed to know if he heard right, gods he hoped he was right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Surely not, Tommy?!” Tubbo whispered, slightly in shock, tears springing to his eyes. For the first time in </span>
  <em>
    <span>so long,</span>
  </em>
  <span> they were tears of joy, not pain. He stared up at the taller blonde that was undeniably his best friend. Tubbo grabbed at the red and white shirt Tommy was known for, trying to convince himself that he wasn’t seeing things. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘Ello Tubbo,'' Tommy said, the quietest Tubbo had ever heard his friend, a grin plastered on his face. The greeting was all it took for reality to finally settle in. With as much force as he could he pulled the taller boy back down into a proper hug, nearly sending the duo toppling over, causing the other to let out a loud laugh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gods he’d missed that stupid laugh more than anything else in all the worlds, hearing it again caused a giant smile of his own to spread across his face. He wasn’t sure if he would ever have gotten the pleasure of hearing it again, the thought alone made him hold on tighter to his friend than before, if it was even possible. They stood that way for what felt like an eternity yet still not enough time, simply taking in the euphoria of being together again before they broke the hug. Tubbo kept his hands on the other’s shoulders, unwilling to let go completely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo looked up at Tommy properly taking in his appearance for the first time. Tommy’s blonde hair definitely needed to be washed, flecks of dirt and what appeared to be blood stood out against the light color. His face wasn’t fairing much better, there were a few scrapes and cuts along his cheeks and nose, plus a split lip that was still healing. Like his hair, his face was relatively dirty making the tear track pretty visible, even without the red rimmed eyes, it was clear Tubbo wasn’t the only one crying, though he decided against commenting on it. He could tease his friend once they were safe again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His clothes were in the same condition as the rest of him, dirty with flecks of blood. The red cloth they once used as part of their uniforms was still tied around his neck but it had clearly seen better days. Despite the dirt and minor injuries, it looked as though Tommy was okay. It was hard to say if those were the only injuries he had or if Phil’s magic had done some work but that didn’t matter because </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tommy was okay.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed you,” Tubbo admitted, meeting his friend's eyes again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy rolled his eye, “No need to be so fucking clingy,” He said, despite the smile on his face growing wider, “I missed you too, Tubbo,” Tommy said quietly after a few more seconds, just like Tubbo knew he would. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” Tubbo asked, the full reality of their situation hitting him once again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Judging by the way Tommy’s smile dropped it was clear he had momentarily forgotten too, “Oh, well, I mean I've been better, to be frank,” Tommy said in a voice that implied the question was ridiculous, paired with a deadpan look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have so many questions! I wasn’t even sure if you were alive! Especially with Wilbur….you know…,” Tubbo said vaguely. It still hurt to think about, he couldn’t imagine how Tommy was feeling, He hoped Tommy knew what he meant, he wasn’t sure he had the strength to be the one to break the news. Tubbo had seen Tommy cry maybe four times; Twice during the revolution, when they woke up after the control room and just after they won the war, though that one had been tears of joy, again after Schlatt had banished him and Wilbur, and now their current situation. Tommy wasn’t one to let anyone else know when he was hurting, Wilbur and Tubbo had to develop a sixth-sense to tell when Tommy was having a bad day. But Wilbur was part of Tommy’s family, his older brother, the fallout would be unlike any of those other times.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It would be hell but Tubbo was more than ready to go through hell for Tommy, “What are you even doing here?” He asked instead. Tommy hadn’t asked for him to clarify, so for now he’d assume the other knew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something shifted behind Tommy’s eyes, “You don’t know?” He asked but before Tubbo could answer the sound of someone clearing their throat cut through the room. Tubbo gave his friend a confused look before he remembered they weren’t alone, considering the wide-eyed look Tommy had, he had forgotten as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry to interrupt, but there’s actually something else we need to talk about,” George said from where he was leaning against the wall, the large bag he had brought with him resting at his feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gogy,</span>
  </em>
  <span> we’re having a moment and you’re just being rude,” Tommy said, turning to look at the adult. Annoyance clear on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George rolled his eyes as he walked towards the duo, “Sorry but I have the things you asked for,” George explained, handing Tommy the bag he’d been carrying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s that for?” Tubbo asked as his best friend all but ripped open the bag, dumping the contents of it onto the floor as he sat down on it himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, Will is gone,” Tommy said quietly before clearing his throat, “We need help, Tubbo, and who do you call when you want to kill a president?” He asked with raised eyebrows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, I don’t know an assassin?” The brunet guessed with a shrug, lowering himself to sit next to the blonde.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy looked up and seemed to contemplate the answers before looking back down and giving his friend an overly exaggerated shake of his head and frown, “No. You call the guy with a weird obsession with killing things and hatred for governments,” He answered his own question. Giving the other an expectant look, waiting for the other to put the pieces together. He rolled his eyes as the other continued to look at him confused before his eyes widened, a silent ‘oh’ shaping his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you two going to tell me who we’re calling?” George asked, once again having to remind the teens that he was there as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The friends shared another look as twin mischievous smiles spread across their faces, “No,” Tubbo answered simply. It was George’s turn to be left out of the loop, the affronted look he gave them was therapeutic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” George said, clearly exasperated with the pair, “Can we just call them already, I needed to talk to you guys about something important.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” Tommy mumbled, dragging out the second letter. The blond pushed supplies off to the side, clearing a space before grabbing the chalk and drawing a large circle on the floor. Tubbo stood back up, taking a few steps back, and watched his friend work. Tommy drew various symbols inside the circle before going over them with some lapiz.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do those symbols mean?” George asked from his side of the circle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” Tommy answered honestly, “I was just taught how to do it, I didn’t care about the why. If it was worth knowing I’d already know it,” He continued with bravado before going back to his work. Tubbo snickered at the exhausted look that painted George’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy put the lapiz to the side and he placed the wood in the center, on top of the largest symbol. Once he deemed the wood sturdy enough he carefully placed the pig’s skull on top of it and grabbed the flint and steel, “Ya ready boys?!” He asked excitedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo nodded enthusiastically whereas George took a few more steps back. Tubbo never understood why the family insisted on making everything so complicated but he had to admit, it was always fun to watch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy lit the wood below the skull before grabbing the lapiz once again, crushing it in his hands, and sprinkling it into the fire. The flame turned a brilliant blue, growing twice its original size. Tubbo let out a laugh as he looked over at George’s terrified face, glancing back at his friend who was grinning like a mad man as a roaring wind swept through the room. The blue fire returned to its smaller size as a golden light began to admit from the chalk circle and symbols. The light engulfed the room, momentarily blinding the occupants before suddenly disappearing with the small hurricane, leaving the room completely dark and silent. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They remained there until Tubbo finally grabbed the torch that had been knocked from the wall and relit it. The two teens let out loud laughs as the light illuminated George. His hair and jacket were a complete mess, Tubbo knew that he and Tommy couldn’t look any better but George’s face was frozen in complete shock. His mouth hung slightly open, his eyes wide and blinking slowly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took the man a few seconds to recompose himself, “What the fuck just happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The question threw the two back into a laughing fit, it took them a few seconds to calm down again, “I just made a phone call, Gods George keep up,” Tommy answered with a grin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I know it's confusing right now but I </span>
  <em>
    <span>promise</span>
  </em>
  <span> it’ll make sense soon,” Tubbo said. He couldn’t help the gab at the other but it felt good. George sighed at the response but he did look a bit guilty which Tubbo counted as a win.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, when is help going to get here?” George asked, moving on quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy gave him a shrug in response, “He’s definitely got the message, I’d say he should get here probably dawn tomorrow or late tonight, he’s an over-packer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay….Well, we’ll look out for him at spawn then,” George said accepting the answer, though he didn’t seem too pleased with it, “I guess I should tell what all of this is about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finally! Man, I thought you were going to be annoying for forever,” Tubbo complained. Honestly, he had kind of assumed that George wasn’t going to actually tell them anything, he was pretty good at giving vague explanations. He swore the Gods if George pulled more nonsense he couldn’t be held responsible for his actions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I’m sorry for that, Tubbo, but I promise it was for everyone’s safety,” George said, Tubbo moved to argue but the man held up a hand, “Just let me explain before you start arguing,” He paused looking for confirmation before continuing, “The assignment Schlatt gave me is to get information from Tommy through any means necessary, no ones allowed to know Tommy’s here or what I’m supposed to be doing under threat of execution so you </span>
  <em>
    <span>cannot</span>
  </em>
  <span> let Schlatt know that you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo gave his friend a worried look, that was one hell of a way to start his explanation. It did explain the vagueness though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He says that he believes Tommy took documents that could justify a rebellion and allow foreign aid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t take shit!” Tommy defended himself from the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know that. Schlatt knows that. It’s just an excuse,” George said with a patient tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo furrowed his eyebrows as he moved to sit by his friend, “An excuse for what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The vice-president sighed, looking down at the ground before looking back at Tommy, “Has Schlatt mentioned at all that something is going to happen in a few days? Anything at all?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy thought about it for a moment, “He mentioned something about my ‘big day’ but the bitch wouldn’t tell me what that meant,” He answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, well Schlatt is holding a festival in four days to celebrate what happened to Wilbur--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Tommy shouted, “I’ll fucking kill him, I swear to everything, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> kill him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George held up a calming hand as though he was trying to approach a wounded animal, “I know, and we’ll help you do it but we need to get you out of here first and that’s what I’m trying to explain. We have a plan but we need your help with a few things,” He said, looking over to Tubbo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you need my help for?” He asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Schlatt plans to kill Tommy at the festival,” He admitted, raising his hand once again as both teens opened their mouths to voice their opinions, “We have a plan! I’m going to ask Schlatt what the exact spot Tommy will be in on the stage, we know you’re doing the decorations and building, we also know that there’s a mass amount of tunnels running under L’Manberg. If you can build a trap door system leading down into the tunnels where Tommy will be, we can get in and out without anyone seeing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what about Schlatt? He’ll be there and like hell, he’s just going to leave Tommy unattended like that,” Tubbo pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, odds are I’ll be the one in charge of watching Tommy but, as I’m sure you know by now, we went to talk to Eret yesterday. We were hoping to get him to agree to meet with Schlatt on the day of the festival so he’s gone for a while. We could get in, get everything in place and Schlatt won’t be there,” George explained, “But obviously, that didn’t go well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eret?” Tommy questioned, giving his friends an upset look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wha-- how do you know I know?” Tubbo asked, ignoring the boy next to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“While we were...arguing I asked him why he was so upset at me, he gave a mumbled response that I couldn't hear but Sapnap caught your name. We put two and two together, took a chance that you had made contact. I assume we were right?” George asked, though he clearly knew the answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo nodded slowly, more and more pieces falling into places as the other talked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, wait, wait you’ve been working with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Eret?! </span>
  </em>
  <span>What the fuck, man?!” Tommy shouted, the upset look never leaving his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?! I didn’t exactly have a lot of options, now did I? Honestly man, he’s not that bad,” Tubbo defended his friend. He understood the hurt that was still there but sometimes you needed to forgive, maybe not forget but surely it’s been long enough to move on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“NOT THAT-- Tubbo are you stupid?” Tommy demanded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe,” Tubbo answered passively, “Do you trust me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I--yes,” The blonde mumbled his response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo smiled, “Then trust me trusting him, you don’t have to trust Eret directly,” He offered. Tommy nodded his head slightly, clearly not happy with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Glad that’s sorted,” George said, jumping back in, “Anyway, as you know that didn’t go as plan and we were hoping you could talk to him about the meeting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, to be fair, if you didn’t make everything so hard he would have agreed. He feels pretty bad about all that. But also told him I hated you and wanted to cause you immense pain, so maybe not,” Tubbo said lightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George seemed taken aback by the blatant admission from the teen, which didn’t make sense. He knew George could be a bit dense at times but he should have seen that one coming, “Maybe I should have kept my cool better but I hope you understand why we couldn’t just come out and tell him everything,” George said, moving on from the comment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm not really,” Tubbo said honestly, “You really didn’t have to make it so hard. If you just told him what was going on he would have said yes. Of course he’s gonna say no to a cryptic meeting with a guy who hates him because one of their employees asked.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We needed him to agree first,” George countered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not really,” Tubbo shot back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “If we told him before he agreed, we would have been putting the plan and everyone involved at risk. We had to know he was on our side first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, first of all, do you really think he’d go and tell the guy he openly hates about your rescue mission? After he’s been giving asylum to all of those who have been seeking it? After harboring Niki? If he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> say no it would have been to protect those people. Secondly, that logic just doesn’t make sense. We could have been here days sooner if you hadn’t jumped through hoops to not tell people things,” The teen argued back. Adults always made things so complicated, “Like I get not telling </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> about Tommy but Eret surely could have been told.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t he have just told you?” George asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope! Not if explained the delicacy of the situation. Like, he would have argued with you for a bit but he would have relented eventually, even if he hated it,” Tubbo said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George opened and closed his mouth, trying to find a response, “That doesn’t matter now, what does matter is we need you to talk to him. He won’t see us again but we know you can convince him,” He continued with the plan, ignoring the teens’ argument. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo rolled his eyes, of course, the other wouldn't admit to </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe</span>
  </em>
  <span> being wrong, Gods forbid that ever happen, “Fine, I’ll go see him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, good,” George breathed as though that was the first good thing to happen to him in a while. Maybe it was, all things considered, “You should do that as soon as possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you keep saying ‘we’, who is ‘we’?” Tommy asked, looking up at George.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dream, Sapnap, and I. Plus, some other help,” George said, though it was in the same way he explained the vague things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re hiding something,” Tubbo pointed out giving the man an upset set look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man in goggles sighed, “I am, but for the same reason I didn’t tell you about Tommy, I can’t tell you what.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t we just go over this man?” Tubbo whined, “Lying just makes things harder than they have to be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trust me, this plan wouldn’t work if I told you both now,” George said, the exasperation returning to his voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Tommy asked, suspicion clear in his tone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>George sighed again, </span>
  <em>
    <span>he did that a lot, </span>
  </em>
  <span>“As soon as you two get down into those tunnels, I swear you will know and understand but seriously you can’t know yet. This isn’t like with Eret, the plan might not work if you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo looked over at the younger boy next to him, he wasn’t happy with it either, that much was clear as he made eye contact but George wasn’t budging on the matter. He gave the other a simple shrug, looking back at the man, “I could probably talk to him tonight,” Tubbo told him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, make sure you get him to agree,” George repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, big man, unlike you I know how to talk to people,” Tubbo responded with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George rolled his eyes at that, “We should get going before people notice you’re missing,” He said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wha--do you have to go?” Tommy asked quietly, looking at George with pleading eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry but we don’t want anyone getting suspicious,” George said, sounding genuinely sorry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I come back tomorrow?” Tubbo questioned, it sounded as though he was begging. Maybe he was but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He just got Tommy back, he didn’t want to lose him again. Never again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>George took a deep breath. Tubbo knew the answer before the other even opened his mouth but that didn’t stop the hurt he felt, “No...I don’t think you can. You need to make that escape route and if you disappear every time I come in, Schlatt’s going to figure it out. I don’t know when you can see each other again, it may not be until the festival,” He explained in an apologetic tone. He knelt down onto the ground, pulling the black bag over with him. He began putting the materials back into it before standing up again. They watched as he walked over towards a corner of the room, taking the potatoes, and returned with a water bucket, “Here, I’ll go back through the hatch, you guys can say your goodbyes. Make sure you wash that chalk away completely and the potatoes are hidden in that corner,” George said before zipping up the bag and making his way out of the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two teens sat in silence for a few seconds, though it felt like an eternity to Tubbo, “Well,” He began, “I guess that’s it then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Tommy said softly, barely above a whisper, “Tubbo, I don’t want you to go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, I don’t think I have a choice,” Tubbo said, just as quiet, “I missed you every day. I know it hasn’t been long but I thought you were dead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could never die,” Tommy told him with a smile but it lacked the usual confidence it held, “We’ll-- we’ll see each other again, won’t we?” He asked, taking a gulp of air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course we will. I don’t think there’s anything in the universe that could separate us, not truly,” Tubbo assured him. It wasn’t often Tommy was openly vulnerable, it was unsettling, to say the least. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here,” Tommy said, untying the red bandanna from around his neck and hanging over to the smaller boy, “If you can’t come to see me, you can know I’m still here or whatever,” He explained, refusing to look at the other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo took the cloth with a smile, folding the torn-up fabric neatly and placing it in his suit jacket pocket, “There now it’s always next to my heart!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Tommy muttered with a large smile, looking away from the other once again, “You are so-- okay, Tubbo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” Tubbo shouted, hastily undoing the green tie around his neck, “You can have this! You’ll have to hide it better but now you have a piece of me too,” He said, handing over the tie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy took it but gave his friend a confused look, “Don’t you need this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo shook his head, “I’ve got an extra one in my office.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, well, I guess this is goodbye then,” Tommy said after a pause.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess,” The brunet nodded. He was about to stand up when something crashed into his side, nearly sending him to the floor. It only took a second to realize that it was a hug. With a soft smile, he wrapped his arms around the other’s as best he could. Tommy pulled back with some hesitance, “Goodbye, Tommy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See you soon, Big T,” Tommy said, it sounded like a promise. He prayed to the Gods it was.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Leaving Tommy’s cell felt like he was walking on knives. He’d been so caught up in the excitement and relief of seeing Tommy again he hadn’t prepared himself for when he had to leave. George had given a sympathetic pat on the shoulder when he came up but any comfort the gesture had was immediately dispelled when George went back down. Tubbo knew what he was doing, chaining Tommy up like he was some animal. He tried his best not to think about it as they made their way back to the main building. George quickly said his goodbye once they did, going gods know where.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo made his way down to the festival grounds after grabbing his second tie. Thankfully, it seemed as though Karl hadn’t done anything disastrous to the decorations. A bitter feeling settled in his heart once again as he surveyed the area, knowing what it was all for had soured any pride he felt towards the event. Karl must have picked up on his sour mood as he quickly distracted the teen, something he was deeply grateful for. Tubbo liked Karl, he was a bit aloof but he was fun. Tubbo didn’t think he had any allegiance to Manberg, Karl was mostly there because he had nowhere else to go. He knew that Karl was engaged to Sapnap, he’d figured that was why Karl helped out with government stuff but apparently that had no correlation. Maybe Karl just liked decorating. Either way, he was endlessly appreciative of the other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d also seemed pretty excited about the new idea for the stage. He hadn’t asked any questions, which was weird, and he’d enthusiastically agreed to not telling anyone without a question, which was even weirder. But to be fair Karl was pretty weird, maybe Sapnap had told the other about everything? No matter the reason, he sent a quick message to George letting him know Karl was helping but he hadn’t told him anything. The remaining hours of the workday passed relatively fast after that. By the time he made it back to his house, they’d made the plan for the secret exit and could start working on it the next day. It was nothing too fancy but it’d get the job done and that was all that mattered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He changed into regular clothing as he messaged Eret, letting him know he was on his way over. He pulled nervously at the brown and yellow sweater as he quickly made his way down the Prime Path, the streets were completely empty but the fear of being caught never quite left him. It wasn’t until he saw the front steps of the castle that he felt like he could breathe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niki met him at the front entrance, pulling him into a tight hug, “Are you okay?” She asked, concern painting her features. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, don’t worry,” Tubbo assured her as they began the walk towards the throne room, “I met with George, figured out what he wanted.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll explain to both of you,” He said, pushing open the doors to the large room. Almost immediately after stepping into the room he was pulled into another bone-crushing hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” Eret asked once he let go, keeping his hands on the other’s shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo laughed loudly at the action, “You both worry a lot,” He pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we worry a good amount actually. You messaged us saying you’re meeting with George, didn’t tell us where you went, disappeared for hours, and then say you’re on your way out of nowhere!” Eret ranted, straightening back up and waving his hands for emphasis.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I forgot how paranoid you are,” Tubbo said, walking past the king. Niki gave the other a pat on the shoulder as she followed after the other teen, an amused smile on her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what did you learn?” She asked Tubbo as he sat down on the throne.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you aren’t going to believe this,” He began waiting for the other two to sit down on the steps next to him, “He’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> not on Schlatt’s side.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” Niki asked though it sounded more like a demand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you remember how George said he couldn’t tell what the meeting was for until you agreed to it? Well, turns out they’re all just stupid,” Tubbo began, “I know, I know, obvious BUT what they wanted was for you to meet with Schlatt the day of the festival so you can distract him long enough for them to break Tommy out of his public execution.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence overtook the large room before the two adults began yelling at the same time, each question lapping over the other. Maybe he should have been less blunt but oh well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, wait, wait!” Tubbo shouted, grabbing onto one of their arms, cutting off the protests, “Let me explain, SO Pogtopia gets attacked, Tommy gets kidnapped, that’s why Schlatt didn’t mention him at all. Turns out he had Tommy taken and not killed because he wanted to scare the people into submission by having him killed at the festival. They wanted you to agree to it first because they didn’t want to put you or the plan at risk, which is just stupid if you ask me but whatever. They asked me to build the escape into the stage into the tunnels.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eret and Niki shared another look before the former spoke, “Okay...so they want me to distract Schlatt to save Tommy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep!” Tubbo answered, popping the ‘p’. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, well then, I mean of course I’ll help as much as I can, if they’d still like it,” Eret said, confusion still evident in his voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, George asked me to talk to you. I told him you’d agree if he just asked,” Tubbo told them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is Tommy okay?” Niki asked, placing her hand on the younger kid’s knee as a comforting gesture. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo sighed, “I mean he’s alive and hopefully he’s going to stay that way which is better than what had thought. I got to see and talk with him, heard his laugh but George said he doesn’t know if we can see each other before the festival,” He said, clearly upset by the situation. It was so nice being able to hug him, there was a small part of his mind that worried it may have been the last time. George seemed confident but there was no say what the next few days held.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Niki said softly shaking his leg slightly, bringing him back to the conversation, “It’ll be okay, we’ll get through it, all of us,” She promised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gave her a smile, it was nice having her positivity, “That wasn’t so hard,” He commented. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eret let out a deep sigh, “Yeah, I’ll message them and let them know I’ll help,” He told them, standing up, “Be right back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The remaining two waved as he left the room. Niki turned to the brunet once the king was out of the room, “I’m glad that all worked out, he felt really bad about snapping at George.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t get why, that sounds funny as hell,” Tubbo said with a laugh, “I may not hate George now but he’s on thin ice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The women laughed lightly, “Maybe for us and yeah, I hope he’s not expecting friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, he also mentioned something else that was kinda weird,” Tubbo said suddenly, remembering the comment George made about keeping another secret, “He said he wasn’t telling us something still, that if Tommy and I knew the plan might fail. He compared it to why he didn’t tell me about Tommy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Niki said, her eyebrows furrowing, “Well, they seem unable to let other people know important details. Maybe they’ll let us know soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo hummed lightly, “He promised as soon as Tommy and I were out of Manberg, we’d know what it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niki sighed, “As much as I hate to say it, we might just have to trust him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I guess,” Tubbo conceded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you staying for long?” She asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, if that’s alright,” Tubbo answered. He really didn’t want to be alone, even if he knew Tommy was okay he also knew that he was chained, alone in a cold dark room, waiting for his execution.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course you can,” Niki assured him with a kind smile.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The hot sun beat down on his back, the straw hat doing nothing to shield him from its beams. Weeding the farms was always his least favorite part of farming but it gave him something to do with hands before harvest season, something that didn’t result in blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wiped a hand across his forehead, throwing a weed into the burlap bag behind him. He leaned down to reach for another weed when the ground began to emit a bright, golden glow that lasted only a few seconds until the dirt returned to normal. A small gold piece of paper was left behind, he sighed as he picked it up. All it had was a small set of coordinates on it and a world, Tommy must have been the one to call, Wilbur was smart enough to at least give some context. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hmm, the Dream-SMP, they’d lasted over a year, which was longer than he would have bet but, of course, it didn’t last. Now he had to go save them once again, at least he could tell Phil they weren’t dead. Maybe he would run into Dream, that’d be fun. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With another sigh he put the paper in his back pocket and picked up the bag, beginning the long walk back to his house. He needed to pack.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I wOnDEr whO tHe NeW pERsoN iS ???</p>
<p>Tubbo hate da miscommunication. I never thought we'd see the day people openly communicate, even a little</p>
<p>I'm starting to believe I am psychic, I've predicted so many of the DSMP plot in the plans for this fic and I started thinking up this AU in late September but now it just looks like a lot of plot points are going to run parallel to canon el oh el</p>
<p>Honestly, I didn't try too hard to spell check this so lmk if there's any horrible mistakes</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Pig in the Mud</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Brotherly reunion</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Shorter chapter than the last few but oh well</p>
<p>Techno POV</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The shimmering yellow-orange light faded from around his body as he stepped out onto the grass before him. The spawn was an absolute disaster, to say the least. High, messy walls surrounded the chunk making any exit impossible to find if there was one. It was most definitely a haste spawn-trap but it looked like the tactic had been used so many times people had layered the walls.  Honestly, he shouldn’t have expected much from a place made by <em> Dream.  </em></p>
<p>Technoblade rolled his eyes at the chaotic display, once again cursing the Gods for having it be Tommy who summoned him,  just a little bit of instruction would have been nice. Even if it had just been how to get out of spawn. He’d talked to Tommy a few times since he went off, he wasn’t the most reliable for comprehensive storytelling but Techno had managed to pick up the pieces. All he had to do was find the long, mostly wooden road, from there he just had to follow the main pathway. If Tommy was to be trusted then the road runs through both nations. Easy. </p>
<p>Now he just needed to get out. Less easy. There wasn’t any clear way out on any side of the box, this place was managed by morons. He removed the tusked pig skull mask he wore and placed it gently on a nearby ledge of wood. The pink-haired man pulled out the ax he had brought with him and walked over towards a nearby tree and swung until it fell down, they could replant it themselves for the effort they <em>already </em>made him do. He had idiots to save. </p>
<p>He pulled the trunk over towards one of the walls, hoisting it onto his shoulder and maneuvering it to lean against the top of the first wall. It wasn’t stable but it would do. He grabbed the discarded mask before slowly taking a few steps back from the messy ramp, he took only a second to calculate the best angle before running at the trunk. As quickly as he could, he ran up it until he could reach the top of the wall, with only a second to spare he hoisted himself up onto the structure. Sending the offending spawn one last look of contempt, he jumped off the other side, landing on the grass with a small thud. </p>
<p>With a huff, Techno adjusted the red cape hanging from his shoulders. Thankfully he had the foresight to bring the smaller of the capes he owned, not the most stylish but if his brothers were in legitimate trouble, fashion was the least of his worries. Hopefully, it would be an easy fix and he could go back to his farm within a week, then he wouldn’t have to worry about looking nice. </p>
<p>Gods he was going to have to deal with people, that was the last thing he wanted. He walked around the cube until he found a clearing in the trees surrounding it, it was likely the best bet for getting to civilization. He gently placed the mask in his hands into the enchanted bag he kept with him, it would be safe in there until he could wear it again. He made his way in the direction the clearing pointed towards. His pink hair shrinking into obsoletion, his skin taking on the color instead; his height growing nearly a foot higher, his shoulder broadening as the small tusks protruding from his mouth enlarged with them. Most times having a human form was nice, easier to plant potatoes with more fingers but if you didn’t want to talk to people becoming a large hybrid was even better. </p>
<p>When Phil had first offered to teach him transfiguration he had hated the concept. He liked being a piglin, the rest of the world hadn’t but he did, it wasn’t until Wilbur caught up with them and offered to learn with him that he had accepted. Dream had told him that his world was pretty accepting of hybrids, though Techno doubted they’d seen any like him, so he wasn’t too worried about the people being rude. Unless Dream had lied, the people had thrown a few ‘fits’ at other people having accents, so who was to say, even if it wasn’t true they really couldn’t do or say anything he hadn’t experienced before. Either way, it was more so they didn’t try to talk to him, nice or not, he knew what he looked like. </p>
<p>Thankfully, he found a city pretty quickly. The area he entered from wasn’t densely populated but the fabled wooden bridge wasn’t in sight, he walked along the edge of the town silently looking for a hint of the pathway but after a few minutes there was still nothing to be found. With some mental preparation, he approached one of the stands nearby, “Hallo,” He said as politely as he could.</p>
<p>The woman running the stand looked no less startled by him but she quickly hid it, though her eyes were still apprehensive, “Hi there, can I help you?” </p>
<p>“Uh, yeah, I’m looking for a L’Manberg?” He asked, the monotone returning to his voice. </p>
<p>“You mean Manberg?” She asked. There was a sarcastic tint to her voice, as though the name was stupid. Which was fair, his brothers were never good at naming things though he still felt a pang of anger at this stranger pointing it out. </p>
<p>He could have sworn it was L’Manberg though, Wilbur and he had still been talking when they named the country. Wilbur had mentioned Manberg as a name but called it ‘too American’ and added the ‘L’. He remembered that quite clearly, “Did they change the name?”</p>
<p>“You’ve been gone for a while haven’t you,” The women said with a light laugh, “Yes, they did. ‘Bout six months ago when the new president was elected.”</p>
<p>“New president?” He echoed, confused. Surely Wilbur would have told if he’d lost the presidency, that was the whole issue between them. The bastard had always been too prideful.</p>
<p>The stand owner hummed lowly, “J. Schlatt. Crazy man, that one. I honestly feel bad for the last two presidents and the people trapped there, we may have had a natural tension between us but we were growing to be allies,” She explained, her voice was genuinely sad. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry did you say Schlatt?” He asked, waiting for her confirmation, “What happened to L’Manberg?” </p>
<p>“Well, they decided to hold an election, big competition for the two big parties; the old presidents, Soot and Innit, and a new guy named Quackity and George Not Found. Soot brought in Schlatt to do something, I honestly don’t know why, but Schlatt turned around and formed the fourth party of his own. But on election day George didn’t show up so Schaltt and the new guy joined and with their combined votes beat the last guys by a point,” She explained, leaning on the small table behind the stall, “Schlatt got up to give his speech, ended up banishing Soot and Innit. Things have been kind of quiet for a bit, but sometimes people from there show up since His Majesty King Eret is offering asylum and they say it’s basically a military regime with random parties.” </p>
<p>She had to be kidding, no way had his brothers lost their entire country to <em> Schlatt. </em> He was a cunning businessman but why in the world would he want to be president. Not only that but he had banished Tommy and Wilbur, “Does anyone know where Soot and Innit went?” Maybe asking a Larger SMP citizen about specifics regarding L’Manberg politics wasn’t the best move, but if she had more information to offer then he wouldn’t waste time going to the other nation just yet. He needed to find them as soon as possible. </p>
<p>“Oh,” She breathed out, “Well, about four days ago Schlatt made an announcement that one of them had been killed, he’s holding a celebration three days from now.”</p>
<p>No, no way, they were idiots but they weren’t that bad! How could they have gotten caught? They should never should have come here, he told them not to, <em> he didn’t go with them, </em> “Um, do you know which one?” He said, pushing down the rising panic he felt. He had told Phil he’d save them, that they were alive. </p>
<p>“I believe it was Soot, the president. It’s a shame, I heard he was a good guy, the people liked him even if he was slow on the upkeep,” The woman continued on. She had no idea what she was talking about. Wilbur wasn’t a ‘good guy’, he was the best. The bastard had saved his life at eleven years old, he gave him his age and his birthday. He’d sing to him when the voices got loud, he took care of Tommy all on his own when Techno and Phil went off for a few days. One of the last things Techno had said to him was that he would laugh when it all fell apart around Wilbur. </p>
<p>He’d never get to laugh at his brother, he’d never get to do anything with him, “That’s...rough,” He said, clearing his throat, “What about the other one?”</p>
<p>“Still missing, poor kid. I heard he’s just sixteen, all on his own out there,” The lady answered. </p>
<p>Tommy was alive, missing but alive, that’s what mattered. He could still find Tommy. </p>
<p><em> Find him. Be fast. Blood. Kill Schlatt. Kill. Save him. </em>The overlapping voices in his head threw commands, growing louder as worry ate him. Listening to the voices wasn’t always a bad thing. He’ll find Tommy, then he’ll burn the nation to the ground. </p>
<hr/>
<p>He didn’t have a clue where to start looking was the issue. The easy answer would be to look for an ugly cobble tower but that could take forever, he’d never been in this world before, the terrain was completely new to him. He’d learn it soon enough but until then it would be best not to run off into the woods. The lady had pointed him in the direction of the path that leads to <em> Manberg, </em> he hadn’t really wanted to go there, not yet but if anyone was going to have a clue where Tommy could be, then they’d be there. </p>
<p>Wilbur had mentioned a girl named Niki a lot in the letters he sent Phil, and assumedly Fundy and Tubbo were still there. Someone had to know.</p>
<p>The <em> Prime Path, </em> because of course it was called that, was a direct line between the two nations but they weren’t close by any means. He felt as though he had been walking in the woods for so much longer than he had. He’d entered the forest nearly an hour ago, after getting more supplies from the SMP market. The peaceful and quiet nature normally would have been welcomed. It would have given him time to think but that was the last thing he wanted to do.</p>
<p>Before the thoughts could intrude once again, a twig snapped somewhere behind him. His ears perked up at the noise, cautiously he placed a hand over the sword that swung from his side. </p>
<p>
  <em> Danger. E. Kill. </em>
</p>
<p>“Who's there?” He called out, drawing his sword a little from the sheath, preparing for a fight. Lords knew he needed to get the anger out. </p>
<p>“Who do you think?” A voice answered back, footsteps drawing closer.</p>
<p>“Ugh,” Techno mumbled, “The last person I wanted to see.”</p>
<p>“Hello to you too! You’ve always made me feel so special,” Dream snarked back, though there was no malice behind the words.</p>
<p>“Hallo,” Technoblade said, watching the masked man as he stepped out from the dense woods. He was wearing a plain white shirt beneath a light green hoodie, he wasn’t dressed for a fight. <em> Dang. </em> </p>
<p>The blonde walked over to the larger piglin, stopping right in front of him before speaking again, “You’re looking scary.”</p>
<p>“Didn’t want people to talk to me but you continue to be a problem,” Technoblade explained with a shrug.</p>
<p>“I was going to pick you up from spawn but I wasn’t sure when you’d get here,” Dream said. Something in his voice had changed, it had been light and joking but there was a seriousness now, as though something was wrong. If Dream had the audacity to apologize for his loss or something, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to contain himself from hitting the nuisance. </p>
<p>He wasn’t even sure if Dream knew about his family. He knew Dream and Wilbur had history on top of the war but not once had Dream mentioned anything to Techno. Knowing Wilbur, he would have kept that a secret but then again, he hadn’t spoken to his brother in over a year.</p>
<p>“How’d you know I was coming?” He asked, realizing what the other had implied. Technoblade hadn’t told anyone he was coming here, aside from Phil. </p>
<p>
  <em> Danger. </em>
</p>
<p>“We can’t talk here,” Dream said in lieu of answering the question. Instead, he slipped a small piece of paper into his hand, “Meet me at this location, go at night, and don’t let anyone see you. Things around here are more complicated than you think.” </p>
<p>Techno nodded once in understanding. He had no clue what <em>that </em>meant but it wasn’t very often that Dream was truly and completely serious. Whatever was happening in this world must be bad</p>
<p>
  <em> Danger. E.  </em>
</p>
<p>With that Dream took a few steps back, giving a small two-finger wave before turning back around, disappearing back into the forest he came from. </p>
<p><em> That was weird, </em>He thought to himself as he continued down the Prime Path towards L’Manberg, slipping the paper into the small bag hanging from his belt. It appeared like Dream was going to give him a rundown of events later on but he could still figure somethings out himself. He’d arrived at sunrise, there was a long time before nightfall. Someone had killed his brother and the other was missing, there was no time to waste until a Teletubby could dramatically monologue to him. </p>
<p>Was going to L’Manberg a good idea? No one there should know about his familial ties to Wilbur and Tommy except Tubbo and Fundy, maybe one or two friends but they wouldn’t know it was him. Tubbo would know, Fundy might not, they hadn’t seen each other since Fundy was extremely young. Could Tubbo and Fundy be trusted? They were still in Manberg even after everything.  No, it was better to play it safe until he knew what was happening.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Playing it safe was never a strong suit of his, he remembered as he looked out into the city center. People were bustling past him, running every which way, arms full of various things. They had to be setting up for the festival, the place was covered in colorful banners and decorations. In the middle of it all stood a man in a multicolored sweater that was a bit too big, he seemed to have some form of authority over the chaos but between the loud giggles and lack of items around him, it didn’t seem like he was actually doing anything.</p>
<p>A small brunet stood up on the stage, shouting things down at the colorful man. At first, Techno hadn’t recognized him. He couldn’t remember a time Tubbo hadn’t worn the oversized green button-up they’d found him in, it also looked like his horns had finally grown in a little, not to mention the last time Techno saw the kid he had blonde hair. The dye must have grown out. </p>
<p>Techno couldn’t quite hear what they were saying to each other but it looked like Tubbo was a bit upset which was amusing the mystery guy. The suit and festival work made it look like Tubbo was working for Schlatt. He couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that Tubbo was celebrating Wilbur’s death. The kid may not have looked up to him as much as Tommy had but he followed Wilbur just that same. That uncertainty was the only thing keeping an arrow out the kid’s back. </p>
<p>He’d seen Fundy briefly, though the fox had left quickly. He had gone to talk to Tubbo about something but there was a clear disagreement between them. It was weird to witness, Fundy was a trickster, sure, but so was Tubbo to a certain extent. Wilbur had said his kid got along great with Tommy and Tubbo, maybe it had to do with everything going on?</p>
<p>But logically, they should be helping each other, that's what friends do when something bad happens, right? He honestly didn’t know, unless he talked to one of them he probably would never know. Dream didn’t seem like the type to get involved with things like that. </p>
<p>The pig looked up towards the sky trying to gauge the time. It had taken a few more hours down the Prime Path to reach the nation. Maybe he had gotten lost once or twice, but no one needed to know that. If he had to guess, he’d been in the actual city for nearly two hours. It was more or less 1 pm now, meaning he had another five hours to kill before he began the trek to wherever Dream wanted him. What the hell was he supposed to do for five hours?</p>
<p>He pushed himself off the stone wall he’d been leaning on, pulling out his whisper device. Quickly, he saved the coordinates of the city and began the walk towards the outskirts of it. Might as well go tower hunting. </p>
<p>Surprisingly, even after hours of circling the areas around most of the nation, he hadn’t found any out-of-place cobble structures. Wilbur probably told Tommy no, which was smart if they had been in hiding. But that begged the question, how were they found? If they’d been cautious enough to stop Tommy from doing that, they must have been pretty careful. </p>
<p>He should have talked to Wilbur more. </p>
<p>
  <em> Time! Check time! Deam! </em>
</p>
<p>Sighing, he looked up to the sky again. The sun was beginning its pathway down below the skyline. He should probably figure out where he was going. He placed his sword down against a nearby tree and took out the piece of paper Dream had handed him, written on it was a simple set of coordinates. What was with people randomly giving him small papers with coords on them and expecting him to know where to go?</p>
<p>Rolling his eyes, he put the coords into his whisper device and picked his sword back up. <em> Let’s see where this will take me. </em></p>
<hr/>
<p>Technoblade stood outside the wooden house with apprehension. It would be simple to assume that home belonged to Dream but the fighter wasn’t one for being tied down, even with something as basic as a house. He trusted Dream not to screw him over, they both knew how that would end, besides they seemed to be in the friend bit of their rivalry. </p>
<p>The house was two stories big with a quaint porch along its front, it appeared to be a bit smaller and self-made, but sturdy. Mushrooms and flowers lined the ground around the porch, giving it a homely look. Distinctly not Dream-like. Someone else must have made it, or this wasn’t Dream’s at all but it wouldn’t make sense for Dream to make him come all the way to a stranger’s house to talk about things he refused to discuss in an empty forest. </p>
<p>With a small ‘poof’ he shifted back down into his human form, the house didn’t look big enough for him to comfortably move around naturally. He quickly tied the long pink hair back into a braid and took the mask from his inventory, putting it back on before making his way up the stairs towards the front door and knocking on it. There was an explosion of noise from inside the house briefly, followed by hushed arguing he may not have heard if it wasn’t for his advanced hearing. The chairs being moved and glass breaking on the other hand were as clear as day, even without the extra help. After a minute or two of what he could only assume was pure chaos, the door opened bringing him face to face with Dream. </p>
<p>The door was pulled tight against the other, not allowing the other to see into the home without some effort. The smiley face mask was pushed up slightly revealing his actual mouth which was stuck in a clearly forced smile, “Hi! You’re here!”</p>
<p>“I am, you told me to come here,” Technoblade reminded the other with a raised eyebrow. He couldn’t have seriously forgotten.</p>
<p>“Right, no I know, I just thought you’d send a message or something to let us know you’d be here soon,” Dream explained, dropping the forced smile. </p>
<p>“Oh, sorry,” He apologized. He wasn’t actually sorry but it was a habit at this point to apologize for most things, “Did you say ‘we’?”</p>
<p>Dream stepped back from the door frame, pushing the oak door open for the other to enter the house, “I did. I told you about George and Sapnap, they’re here.” </p>
<p>Right, Dream’s friends. The home was making more sense now, “So why am I here?”</p>
<p>“Remember when I said things weren’t as they seemed?”</p>
<p>“Yep.” </p>
<p>“Well--” Dream began but was cut off before he could finish. </p>
<p>A loud “Techie!” was the warning he got before another body crashed into his. If it wasn’t for the shout giving him time to prepare, him and whoever was currently hugging him would have crashed to the ground. </p>
<p>
  <em> Techie! They said Techie! Only three people say that… </em>
</p>
<p>Quickly he pulled the person off of him, keeping them in place by the shoulders. Only three people got to call him that, which meant…“Wilbur?”</p>
<p>
  <em> Wilbur! Will! Wilby! He’s alive! Kill Schlatt! Hit him. Tommy? </em>
</p>
<p>The curly haired man laughed nervously, raising a hand in an awkward wave, “Hey, Techno.” </p>
<p>He was undoubtedly his brother but Wilbur was dead, everyone thinks he’s dead. Schlatt was a moron but he wasn’t stupid enough not to ensure Will was dead before telling everyone, “Wha--you’re dead.”</p>
<p>“Well, actually it’s a funny story but, um, no I’m not. I’m actually very much alive,” Wilbur said, the nervousness still written all over him. </p>
<p>“Why does everyone think you’re dead if you aren’t?” Techno asked in a more demanding tone. He had spent all day convinced that his brother was dead and <em> he wasn’t. </em> </p>
<p>“You’re mad,” Wilbur stated, eyebrows furrowing. </p>
<p>“I have no idea what is happening, I just know Tommy sent me a cryptic message out of nowhere, I get here and everyone is telling me you’re dead and Tommy is missing, just to find out <em> you’re not dead </em> and J. Schlatt is president,” Techno ranted, “Is Tommy here too?!”</p>
<p>Dream took the opportunity to step in, “No, he isn’t but we really need to <em>talk. </em> You can yell at him later, we’re on a time crunch,” He said with raised hands. </p>
<p>Dream could not seriously be asking him to put aside the fact his dead, little brother was actually alive and his littlest brother was still missing? “Are you kidding me right now?” </p>
<p>“No,” Dream said with a sigh, “But we’d like to explain before you get upset.”</p>
<p>“It’s a little late for that one,” Techno said in a dangerously low tone, turning his focus back onto his brother who was looking at him with wide eyes. </p>
<p>“Techno--” Wilbur tried.</p>
<p>“No, I don’t want a word from you, I can’t believe you right now,” Techno began, holding up a hand to stop the other, “I get dragged to a new world just to find out that my little brothers might <em> both </em> be dead.” </p>
<p>“I’m sorry…” </p>
<p>“No, not a word,” He repeated. Wilbur closed his mouth, looking down at the ground. At least he had the decency to look ashamed, “And you! You knew this whole time? Why wasn’t I told what has been going on?” He asked, turning to face Dream. Behind him were two other people, they must be Dream’s friends he had mentioned. Techno couldn’t care less, all they were to him were more people who decided to hide that fact. That on top of the obvious trauma they gave his brothers during the war was only fueling the murderous chants inside his head. </p>
<p>“Techno, listen,” Dream said, moving to place a hand on his friend's shoulder but before he could a sword was pressed against his throat keeping him at a distance. Slowly he raised his hands again, showing he wasn’t going to try again, “Okay, sorry, just please put the sword away. I can explain, or Wilbur can, but you need to keep a clear head.”</p>
<p>“Do not tell me what to do,” Technoblade told him, eyes narrowed, locked on the ones he knew laid behind the mask, “You can explain here.”</p>
<p>Wilbur shifted nervously from where he stood, though Techno gave him no mind, his focus still locked on his rival. A cautious hand gently pushed the sword away from Dream’s throat and down to the hybrid’s side, “I messed up Techno, and now Tommy’s in danger. Schlatt’s planning on killing him soon, please,” Wilbur pleaded from beside him.</p>
<p>The broken tone caused the fighter to pause. Wilbur rarely let others hear him like that nor did he admit when he was wrong. But more importantly, Tommy was in danger, “Soon?”</p>
<p>“Three days,” Wilbur told him, caution returning to his voice. </p>
<p>Techno hummed lowly, with a sigh he addressed Dream again, “I’d like to talk to my brother alone.”</p>
<p>Dream nodded silently, only dropping his hands when he was a few feet away. He grabbed his two friends, who stood still with wide eyes, by the arms pulling them along with him and forcing them from their spots. Hushed arguing followed after them, disappearing with the sound of a door closing. </p>
<p>The brothers stood in tense silence until Techno quietly removed the mask he still wore, turning to face his twin, “Explain.” </p>
<p>Wilbur sighed, a bit dramatic for Techno, before answering, “A new guy named Quackity showed up, started calling us dictators so we decided to hold an election to make the democracy a bit more legitimate but that didn’t...work out. We got banished, we found somewhere nice! Kind of, it--it did its job until they found us. These two guys attacked us, they got me pretty bad, really bad actually. They took Tommy and left me to die but Dream found me and they helped me out but now the new president wants to kill Tommy as an example,” He explained, fidgeting with his hands as he did so.</p>
<p>“That was the vaguest explanation you could have possibly given,” Techno said with an unimpressed look, “Please tell me you have a plan.”</p>
<p>“Of course we do! I’m not a complete idiot, you know,” Wilbur exclaimed, crossing his arms.</p>
<p>“Could have fooled me. Now, what’s the plan?” The man in the crown asked. </p>
<p>Wilbur rushed to explain, “Well, we have a few other people on our side. We got the Larger SMP’s king to try and meet with Schlatt during final prep for the festival so Dream, Sapnap, and I can sneak into the city through the underground tunnel system. Tubbo’s also in on it, he’s building an escape route into the stage for Tommy, likely George and himself. Plus, another friend is helping the king,” He told his twin. </p>
<p>“Fundy?” Techno asked quietly. Surely the kid would be helping his dad but Wilbur’s brows furrowed and he quickly looked away, “Oh.” </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Wilbur agreed, quiet enough even Techno could hardly hear him. </p>
<p>Techno sighed deeply, walking over to lean against the kitchen counter, “You should have called me the second any of this happened, Wilbur. Your country got taken over, you and Tommy went on the run, <em> you got stabbed, </em> never once did it cross your mind to ask for help?”</p>
<p>“Please don’t--”</p>
<p>“Tommy probably thinks you’re dead, everyone else does,” Techno pushed.</p>
<p>“I know!” Wilbur exclaimed, “I know, <em> please </em> don’t rub it in.”</p>
<p>Techno rolled his eyes, pushing off from the counter to stand in front of his twin again. He looked horrible. There were deep eyes bags under his eyes, the circular glasses missing from where they should be, his hair was messier than usual and the slightly ill-fitting shirt he wore was clearly not his. </p>
<p>
  <em> You should hug him. </em>
</p>
<p>Stupid voices. He pulled the other into a tight hug which was immediately returned after less than a second of pause, “Don’t make it a thing,” He warned. Techno wasn’t one for physical contact but he knew that Wilbur was, and he clearly needed this, “I’ll rub it in later, right now I’m just glad you aren’t, I don’t know, dead.”</p>
<p>Wilbur let out a watery laugh at that. Small shakes racked the other as he hugged his brother tighter. Technobalde had never learned how to deal with crying, he left that bit to Wilbur so he awkwardly patted the others back in an attempt to comfort him. He’d seen Will do that before, hopefully, it worked.</p>
<p>“I fucked up…” Wilbur’s muffled voice muttered into his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Yeah, you did,” Technoblade agreed, “You’re kinda stupid but we’ll fix it.”</p>
<p>“Don’t tell dad.”</p>
<p>"I’ve got a feeling he already knows something is wrong,” Techno said, letting out a loud laugh as his twin groaned dramatically. It was nice having Will back, in more ways than one. They’d save Tommy <em>then </em>he’ll tell Phil and let him deal with the nerds.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I put too much effort into picking the spawn light, literally went to the color wheel to find the opposites of purple (nether portal) and dark blue (end portal) just for them the be orange and yellow ;-; </p>
<p>Also lmk about how Techno is written so far, this Techno is going to be pretty different from canon Techno so I wouldn't expect characterization to be spot on (though most aren't already lmao). cc!Techno gave me the solution to the biggest plot hole in the story so far but did so by denouncing DSMP SBI family and I can't decided if I love him or hate him for it.</p>
<p>As always lmk about mistakes, spell check is too much effort :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Making Amends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Everyone finally learns open communication. Mostly.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We’re almost at the point where I don’t have to write have to switch between an ungodly amount of POVs, I’ve never been so excited.</p>
<p>Also there’s a bit of karlnap in this chapter. Since it’s canon and a big part of their characters, and their okay with it, I figured it has to be more than simply mentioned eventually, and here we are but it’s very brief and I don’t plan on it being a very big thing but just a heads up. </p>
<p>Dream/Sapnap/Wilbur/George POV. Oh boy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> ~ Earlier that day ~ </em>
</p>
<p>“I got a message from Eret last night,” George announced as he descended from the staircase. </p>
<p>“Oh thank the Gods,” Sapnap said, leaning his head back in relief. </p>
<p>The night before had been tense, to say the least. Wilbur had been pissed as all hell when they wouldn’t tell him how the meeting with Eret went, though they had expected as much. Dream had told him they were waiting on some intel. Intel which would take until the next day to receive, when in actuality George had been with Tubbo and Tommy. According to George, Tubbo had been confident that Eret would help them, thank the gods he had been right. </p>
<p>Dream knew he would have been before the meeting but it was reassuring to hear that he still had a level head even after the argument.</p>
<p>“What’d he say?” Dream asked, pushing around the mushrooms in his stew.</p>
<p>“He’s in. I said we can meet today to go over details and such,” George told them, taking a seat of his own at the table. </p>
<p>Sapnap snorted from his end, “Maybe Wilbur will stop sulking now.” </p>
<p>Dream chuckled at the comment, running a hand through his hair “I think that’s his natural state.” </p>
<p>“You’re being <em>rude,” </em> George said, despite the wide smile he wore.</p>
<p>“What are you lot laughing at?” A voice called down from up the stairs. </p>
<p>The team shared a wide-eyed look before Sapnap answered, barely keeping a grin from his face, “N-nothing! Don’t worry!”</p>
<p>“Uh-huh,” Wilbur nodded once he was on the ground floor, walking into the kitchen, “You should get thicker walls.”</p>
<p>A light pink blush spread across Sapnap's face resulting in another laughing fit from the other two occupants of the table, “Whatever man,” He mumbled to himself, taking a sudden, intense interest in a loose strand of hair. </p>
<p>“What’s going to make me stop sulking?” Wilbur asked, taking his own seat at the table with a glass of water. </p>
<p>“Got word from Eret this morning, we’re going to meet in a bit to go over details and what-not,” George informed the other brit.</p>
<p>Wilbur hummed mostly to himself, it had a satisfied sound to it but it was short, making it almost disapproving at the same time. Honestly, Dream got it, he did but they needed to move on if they were going to work together. Maybe he could talk to Wilbur about what exactly had happened and why it had happened. Maybe he could create a miracle and get Wilbur and Eret to talk but Dream was never no for pursuing delusions.</p>
<p>“Took him a while…” Wilbur muttered, mostly to himself but the other three caught the words.</p>
<p>The bespectacled man sighed heavily before glance over towards where the tall man was sitting, “That’s kinda my fault. I didn’t tell him everything when I should have and it set things back a bit.”</p>
<p>Wilbur gave him a bit of a startled expression before smoothing over his features, “Sure,” He said. It was clear he wasn’t going to believe George no matter how much he insisted it was his fault, in his mind Eret was going to always be the bad guy. George had made a joke about getting everyone into therapy a while back, maybe he should start taking that idea more seriously. </p>
<p>Dream looked around at his friends, it seemed as though they all were thinking the same things. They’d have to deal with that later, for now, they needed to focus.</p>
<p>“Well, anyway, Tommy was able to summon your brother-- which, can I just say, when you said he was dramatic I wasn’t exactly expecting a legitimate <em> summoning,” </em> George complained lightly, changing the subject. Dream quietly laughed at the mental image of George standing in the middle of the summoning. He’d seen Technoblade do it before and George had a point, without warning it would have scared him too. He sincerely doubted Tommy or Tubbo had given him a heads up.</p>
<p>Wilbur snorted from his chair, “Wait till you see the guy,” He said with a smirk, raising the glass to his lips. </p>
<p>“That isn’t comforting,” George deadpanned back, earning him a shrug, “Whatever, well Tubbo also knows about Tommy and agreed to build the exit into the stage, which I think Karl is helping with--”</p>
<p>Sapnap shot straight up, “What?!”</p>
<p>“He doesn’t know anything! He was already helping with decorations, it would have been suspicious if Tubbo hadn’t asked him to help,” George explained. Sapnap seemed to calm down a bit at that but quickly pulled out his Whisper and began furiously typing away. Ignoring him George moved on, “We’re meeting with Eret and Niki today to tell them everything.”</p>
<p>Wilbur visibly perked up at the mention of Niki, “Niki’s going to be there?”</p>
<p>“We told you she was staying with him didn’t we?” Dream reminded.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I know I just-- It’s good, it’s good, Niki should know, she’s smart,” Wilbur defended, fighting off a small smile.</p>
<p>“Well, it’s nice to know something can make you smile still,” Dream teased, earning himself a middle finger, which he simply wheezed at. </p>
<p>“Don’t be that guy,” Wilbur complained before changing the topic, “What time are you all going to meet?”</p>
<p>Dream spoke first, “I’ll go find your brother soon, you should probably go while I do that. I’ll give him the house coords and have him come after sundown.”</p>
<p>“How are you going to know it’s him?” Sapnap asked, “Does he look like you, Wil?” </p>
<p>The taller brit simply giggled at the question which Dream answered, “He’s pretty hard to miss.”</p>
<p>“I don’t like it when you two do that thing,” George announced.</p>
<p>“What thing?” Wilbur asked with a confused look, though his voice still held amusement to it. </p>
<p>George rolled his eyes, pulling his goggles up onto the top of his head, “The one where you obviously know something that we don’t but you refuse to share.”</p>
<p>The answer earned him a loud laugh, which was not appreciated in the slightest, “You do realize just how hypocritical that is? What have you been doing for the past week, hm?” Wilbur asked in return.</p>
<p>“You’re starting to sound like Tubbo.”</p>
<p>“Tubbo’s a smart kid, I take that as a compliment.”</p>
<p>“Says the dead man,” George threw back. </p>
<p>The comment forced the other to pause, his shocked look quickly turned into one of amused annoyance, “Sorry next time someone tries to assassinate me, I’ll tell them ‘no’.”</p>
<p>“Well,” Dream stepped in, “We have ourselves, Niki and Eret, Tommy and Tubbo, and now your brother all on board with this, maybe we can start letting people know you aren’t dead.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean?” Wilbur asked leaning forward slightly in his seat, a seriousness taking over the friendly atmosphere.</p>
<p>“Your brother is going to find out today, we already know, so maybe we can let Eret and Niki in on it. I agree that Tommy and Tubbo shouldn’t know until they’re safe but what’s the harm with telling them now?” Dream reasoned.</p>
<p>The reasoning was fair, he thought. Everyone was going to find out on the day of the festival no matter what. It made sense to let the people on their team know beforehand, or at least those they could. The convoluted secret-keeping had caused enough problems, this would eliminate some more. They’d have to deal with the wrath of Tommy Innit and Tubbo no doubt and Dream could already hear the lectures that they would all be given, they didn’t need Niki and Eret to be mad at them again. </p>
<p>“You really think that’s smart?” Wilbur asked. There was a hesitance to his voice, as though the answer scared him. Maybe it did, it seemed as though being dead is the only break he’s gotten in nearly two years. Coming back meant no more hiding, no more calm mornings, or sleep full nights. It was back to running and looking over his shoulder every second. </p>
<p>Maybe they could find someplace nicer for the rebels. Pogtopia was out of the question now, they needed somewhere. </p>
<p>Dream sighed, “Look, I get it’s scary and you don’t trust Eret but if we tell them now we can make a fuller plan. Think about how they’d react--how Niki would--if they found out at the same time as the rest of the world. This could make things so much easier.” </p>
<p>“Niki would understand and you’re right, I don’t trust Eret and you’ve put him in charge of talking to Schlatt in private,” Wilbur argued back, sitting up straighter. </p>
<p>“Tubbo said something pretty smart when Tommy was trying to argue against Eret’s involvement. He told Tommy that he didn’t have to trust Eret, he just had to trust Tubbo trusting him,” George recalled. If it had worked on Tommy, Tommy clearly modeled himself after Wilbur to an extent, hopefully, it worked here too. </p>
<p>“Doesn’t matter which one I trust if it ends the same,” Wilbur said simply. </p>
<p>Dream raise a calming hand, “I had to convince him—“ </p>
<p>“Doesn’t matter.”</p>
<p>“—it took days—“</p>
<p>“Days isn’t long enough,” Wilbur cut him off sharply, “Days is <em> not </em>long enough.” </p>
<p>A stuffy quiet took root in the room until Dream attempted once again, “He didn’t want to and when he caved we didn’t tell him what we had planned. Not really.” </p>
<p><em> “I don’t care,” </em> Wilbur reiterated. </p>
<p>“Have you ever tried asking him why he did it?” Sapnap asked, looking very scared of entering the debate. The question was a good one, though. No one had asked that as far as Dream was aware. Of course, he knew, he had been the one to convince Eret, but he knew George didn’t have the clearest idea and he doubted Sapnap knew more than their other friend. Other than them Dream couldn’t think of another person Eret spoke with regularly enough for them to get him to talk about it. </p>
<p>It was almost...sad?</p>
<p>Wilbur let out a deep breath, clenching his hands together tightly on the table, “It doesn’t matter <em>why, </em> the only thing that matters is that he did it. That’s all I need to know.” </p>
<p>“A bit black and white, isn’t it?” George asked. They didn’t really have the time to be arguing about Eret all day. Wilbur’s distrust was far more than valid but it needed to be put aside for a moment. </p>
<p>“Maybe,” Wilbur agreed but didn’t say anymore. He just sat and glared down the hands that still rested on the table. They were no longer clenched but slightly pulled apart. The look on his face had dissipated from anger to a more conflicted look. He looked down at the hands as though they held all the answers he needed. </p>
<p>George took in and released a small breath before he spoke again, “Fine, well Dream you should go find Wilbur’s brother, Sapnap and I will go meet with Eret and Niki—“ </p>
<p>“Actually,” Sapnap interrupted, “I was thinking I could go see how things are going with Tubbo? Karl’s helping—something that <em> wasn’t </em>discussed—so it wouldn’t be weird for me to be down there.” </p>
<p>“Sure, Sapnap will check on that while I go speak to them about the plan. Wilbur...you just don’t run away or hurt yourself, yeah?” George concluded, emphasizing the last instruction with a stern glare. </p>
<p>Wilbur rolled his eyes in return, “I’m not a child, you know? Besides my brother is probably already here so getting hurt really isn’t that big of a deal.” </p>
<p>“Don’t test me,” George threatened. Wilbur had been better the past day or two but sometimes he really pushed. George was not above violence to make the other take care of himself, Dream had learned that the hard way.</p>
<p>As if on cue, Dream’s whisper buzzed from the counter. The blonde stood from his seat and grabbed the device, checking the alert. As he read he chuckled a bit to himself before sharing, “It’s from Eret, some people have brought concern over a <em> very </em>large man wandering around asking about L’Manberg. Some stall owner pointed him towards the Prime Path but she said he seemed pretty lost.” </p>
<p>Wilbur laughed at the last comment, “Don’t let him hear that.” </p>
<p>“I'll go find him. It’ll take a bit if he gets lost,” Dream said, typing something back, the device buzzed again, “He said that was maybe an hour or so ago, I should get going.” </p>
<p>With that Dream made his way up the stairs. When he came back down it was with a new sweater, his sword, and his axe. </p>
<p>He gave a small wave before leaving the building, off to find Wilbur’s “mystery” brother. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Maybe getting a heads up that everyone had decided to put his <em>fiancé </em>in mortal danger would have been nice! But no! No, that was too much!</p>
<p>Objectively he knew they didn’t predict that happening either. Tubbo had just found out Tommy was alive and a bit of help must have been appreciated but Karl was already helping. He didn’t need help on the part that would incriminate him for treason! </p>
<p>Sapnap felt the fire begin to roar deep within his chest. He paused his angry walk towards the festival grounds, he needed to breathe, just like Bad had taught him. He couldn’t afford to lose control now, he never could but <em>especially </em>now. </p>
<p>Once he felt the flames cool he began the walk again. Trying to cool off more he pulled his black hair back into a small ponytail. It didn’t do much but the practiced action had a small calming effect nonetheless.</p>
<p>It’d been getting worse recently, the...whatever that was happening to him. The last thing anyone needed was for him to explode, but it was kind of hard to keep a handle on his emotions when people were playing with his fiancé’s life. </p>
<p>He got lost in the breathing exercises that before he knew it, he had arrived in Manberg. Tubbo and Karl had really put in the work to make the place look nice. There were dozens of people bustling about the main area, each carrying decorations or tools. If it wasn’t for his eccentric fashion Sapnap may not have been able to spot Karl amongst the sea. </p>
<p>He made quick work of pushing through to the other man, who stood in the center of it all. </p>
<p>Once Karl spotted him, he let out a loud giggle and skipped over to meet him. The brunette rose on his toes to plant a quick kiss on his cheek, “What are you doing here?” Karl asked. </p>
<p>Sapnap answered with a question of his own, “I can’t come to see my fiancé?” </p>
<p>“No,” Karl answered, going completely blank faced, though it took less than a second for the smile to return. </p>
<p>“Wow, okay,” Sapnap mumbled, rolling his eyes fondly. </p>
<p>All the smaller man did was giggle again, he opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a third voice, “Karl, man! Come on!” </p>
<p>Sapnap turned around looking for the source of the shouting. His eyes trailed up onto the stage they stood by and were met with the angry glare of Tubbo, “Uh, hey Tubbo.”</p>
<p><em> “You,” </em> Tubbo began placing a hand on his hip and pointing an accusatory finger down at him, “are already on thin ice! And now, here you are distracting my help!”</p>
<p>“Creative director!” Karl shouted back up. </p>
<p>“Yeah, George mentioned this morning that you were starting a project and that <em> Karl was helping,” </em> Sapnap said, trying to communicate to the teen why he was there with his eyes. </p>
<p>The implicated issue drew an eye roll from the small teen, “Yes, Karl is helping, he offered and I have been having a stressful time as of late so I accepted. Bring it up with him.” </p>
<p>Sapnap turned to look back at his partner, who watched with far too amused eyes, “Look I’m just here to direct and make it look nice!” </p>
<p>“Could you use some help?” He asked, looking back at Tubbo. He wanted to be nearby in case anything happened. </p>
<p>Tubbo let out a breath, the tension in his shoulders leaving, “Fine. Surely we can find you something to do but you may just have to sit and, I don’t know, help Karl.” </p>
<p>“I can do that!” He said excitedly. Any time with Karl is a good time. </p>
<p>“Just stay on task please?” </p>
<p>“Can do!” Karl answered, pulling Sapnap away from the front stage. Instead, he was pointed towards the side of it, out of the way from the workers but that also meant he couldn’t survey the crowd. He was completely blind but he could still watch Karl which is what mattered, really.</p>
<p>It was relatively boring for a long while. Despite what Tubbo had made it sound like, Karl stayed focused for the entire time. Sure, he never actually picked up or touched any decorations but he was in charge of directing the mess of people who did have supplies. Karl didn’t seem to be working on the stage at all, which was a relief. As far as Sapnap could tell, Karl simply knew about its existence. He gladly took the time to sit back and watch his partner work, it was a nice calm after the whirlwind week he’d had.</p>
<p>Though nothing good lasts for long. After no more than twenty or so minutes of peace, he began hearing a commotion from atop the stage. Panicked he tried to make his way over to see the cause but before he could Karl was next to him, gently pushing him back down into his seat.</p>
<p>Trusting Karl, he opted to simply listen in on whatever was happening. </p>
<p><em> “Well, Fundy </em>some of us have actual jobs and know how to do them, I don’t need <em>you </em>coming to check on <em>me</em>. Now, if you’d like to get off my stage, that would be nice,” Tubbo’s voice carried down. He sounded more pissed off than Sapnap had ever really heard, Tubbo was always on the more passive end of things, letting Tommy carry all the rage for both of them. </p>
<p>“Look, man, I just asked if you were getting things done in time, Schlatt asked me to! Take it up with him,” Fundy insisted. Well shit, he’d almost forgotten that Fundy existed, “And what is that supposed to mean? ‘Some of us have actual jobs’?”</p>
<p>There was a pause for a moment before Tubbo spoke again, “You burned a flag and decided you were important. That is it. You haven’t done anything else.”</p>
<p>“What is up with you?!” Fundy demanded, sounding increasingly upset.</p>
<p>“I’ve had a bad week and being lectured by those doing less than me is really not something I want happening,” Tubbo explained, his voice frustrated but clear. The kid clearly wanted to be left alone but Karl’s hand was still on his shoulder, so instead of dealing with it, he was confined to listening in until the fox got a hint.</p>
<p>Another pause, “How do you think I feel?”</p>
<p>Fundy’s voice had lost all emotion he had previously possessed, in their place was a hollowness. It sounded distant, detached. The simple question nearly gave him whiplash.</p>
<p>“You disowned him, I didn’t.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” The response was no more than a whisper. It sounded as though he had to fight to push it out, a confirmation not even he himself believed. <em> Weird. </em> Only after the muttered agreement hung in the air did Fundy’s footsteps began to retreat off the stage, disappearing into the background noise of everything else. That was when Karl finally released his hold, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze before going back to his spot in the middle of the chaos. </p>
<p>Maybe he should text George and get him to tell Eret and Niki that Tubbo was upset. They’d be the right people to calm him, right? The only other options were “dead” or in prison. Quickly he sent the message and pocketed the device, returning his gaze to his fiance. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>After Dream left, followed suit by Sapnap, Wilbur and George sat in the silence for a while. It wasn’t until the smaller of the two stood up, releasing a sigh as he did so, that either moved or spoke.</p>
<p>“I should get going,” George said, looking down at him. </p>
<p>Wilbur looked up briefly making eye contact before directing his eyes back down to his hands, nodding wordlessly. </p>
<p>George nodded once himself before he made his way up the stairs, presumably to get more formally dressed. </p>
<p>He knew he was being a tad bit ridiculous. They needed Eret on their side to make sure this worked but he just couldn’t bring himself to believe it. Even if Niki and Tubbo both, for some reason, thought Eret to be trustworthy, it didn’t mean anything. The only thing it could possibly mean was that they were far too trusting. Wilbur had made that mistake before; Never again.</p>
<p>The last time he had trusted Eret, Tommy, Tubbo, and Fundy all lost a life. It doesn’t matter if it took days of convincing, it doesn’t matter what had motivated his old friend to do it. Like he had said, the only thing that does is that he did it. </p>
<p>But they needed Eret. It was already set in place. Maybe telling them wouldn’t be so bad….</p>
<p>For Niki, he’ll do it for Niki, and Eret being there will simply be ignored. Absolutely and completely. No way in hell is he going to talk to the other. </p>
<p>He sighed, clasping his hands together and bringing them to rest against his forehead in something of a mock prayer. </p>
<p>They hadn’t spoken since the control room. Every meeting between the nations had been between him and Dream. Not once had Eret been present. It had been odd at first but he’d quickly accepted it, it had honestly been a relief.</p>
<p>Now he was wishing he’d had the practice. This was going to be painful. For Tommy, he was doing it for Tommy. </p>
<p>“George?” He called out and waited for the reply. Once he got one he continued, “Maybe I should go with.” </p>
<p>“Oh? Well, you’re welcome to come with,” George said as he came back down, dressed in his suit, “You going to look presentable or normal?” </p>
<p>“This is literally all I have, you dick! I’m literally homeless,” Wilbur exclaimed, mouth agape with shock. </p>
<p>“Get your coat then and let’s go,” George instructed with a teasing smile. Not waiting for his new companion, the dark haired man walked out of the house, leaving the other to scramble trying to find his things.</p>
<p>The walk to the castle passed by far quicker than Wilbur would have predicted. Thankfully, it seemed like the awkward pauses in their usual conversations were lessening. They were still there but far less frequently. Mainly it consisted of Wilbur talking while George nodded along, offering a few comments in between the rants.</p>
<p>But sooner than he would have liked the SMP kingdom began to fill their eyesight. He hadn’t really thought this far ahead, honestly. They didn't have a disguise for him to wear, and even if they did his height stuck out like a sore thumb. Even if the nation was generally against Schlatt there was bound to be someone who would tell if the dead guy just showed up.</p>
<p>It seemed as though George had the same idea. They pulled off a little way into the thinning woods, away from the path. He pulled out his whisper and hit the call button, the ringing last for a while before the line was picked up.</p>
<p>“Hello?” A voice came through. Though it wasn’t Eret like he’d predicted, “George?” Niki’s voice asked.</p>
<p>The sound filled him with happiness he couldn’t remember the last time he felt. The quiet tone nearly made tears start to fall. He'd missed her <em>so much. </em></p>
<p>“Hello, sorry,” George spoke, giving Wilbur a concerned look, “We’re here but we can’t go through the city like normal, can you see if there’s a different, <em> hidden </em> way in?” </p>
<p>The line was quiet for a moment before she answered, there was a suspicious tint to her voice, “Why can’t you come in the door?” </p>
<p>“Um, just trust me?” George offered before backtracking, “Look, we’re going to try being more honest with everything and that’s what I’m trying to do. But the rest of the kingdom doesn’t need to know.” </p>
<p>The women let out a sigh of annoyance before telling them to wait before the line went quiet again. She must have gone to ask if there was any but with each second she was away the more the nerves grew in his heart. Gods, he’d missed his friends so much, this was a step to getting them back. To get his home back. </p>
<p>“One sec,” Her voice returned before some shuffling could be heard. </p>
<p>“George?” That wasn’t Niki. That most definitely wasn’t Niki. Niki’s voice was soft and calming and made him feel safe. This did the exact opposite. Maybe he wasn’t as prepared for this as he thought. </p>
<p>George gave him a look of concern as he answered, quickly taking the call off the speaker. The other placed a comforting hand on his arm but it did nothing. </p>
<p>He’d been fine with it. He’d gone back to the stupid fucking room and it was <em>fine. </em> He’d packed all the things Eret left behind, he dealt with all the fallouts as best he could have. He’d handled it all. It's been nearly a year and a half, he should be over it, <em> he was over it. </em></p>
<p>But with one simple word, he wasn’t. He wasn’t fine, he didn’t want to do this. It was probably another trap. They were doing it again. Oh Gods he fucked up. </p>
<p>“Wilbur?” George’s voice asked. He came forward into his vision again. The phone was missing from his hands, instead, both of them rested on his arms, grounding him to the present.</p>
<p>“I’m fine,” He mumbled. Though he wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince. </p>
<p>“You don’t have to go,” George reminded him gently. </p>
<p>Objectively that was true but it wasn’t <em>really. </em> They’d been right earlier. They needed Eret and that meant working together. He needed to do this and Niki would be there, but gods he didn’t want to. </p>
<p>He wanted to go back to the days where he could hate the other without any worries. The days he could push down the hurt and ignore the way it never truly left. </p>
<p><em> “I’m fine,” </em> He said again, shaking the thoughts away, “I can do this.” </p>
<p>George was giving him a skeptical look, though Wilbur pointedly ignored it. After a minute George gave up, dropping his hands to his side with a resigned nod, “I know where to go.” </p>
<p>Finding Eret’s secret entrance proved to be a bit difficult, which was good for the architect but it was inconvenient for them, so Wilbur decided it was bad. The passage began on the far backside of the castle and wound all the way up the tower located on the side. Which meant they had to go from the peak of the structure down the throne room where George assumed them to be. </p>
<p>It was tricky navigating through the build without being seen by any of the people moving about it. Eventually, they managed to get down to the ground floor and found the door they needed to. </p>
<p>“Do you want me to go first or…?” George asked, his hand resting on the doorknob. </p>
<p>Wilbur silently nodded his head. He needed a moment before. There was going to be a lot of questions, probably a good amount of tears. He wouldn’t put it past Niki to be mad at him. Plus, he needed to clear his mind before he ended up murdering the king. </p>
<p>George nodded back and pushed open the door, leaving him alone. Gods, he was going to turn back around. Was it really worth it? </p>
<p><em> Yes! </em>Yes, it was worth it! Tommy was going to be killed. Gods, he needed to get a grip of it. No time like the present and all that. </p>
<p>Without a second thought, he pulled open the door and stepped out, eyes closed. If he stayed a second longer alone he hadn’t been confident that he wouldn’t have run away. </p>
<p>He could no longer hear the muted chatter he had behind the door. The large room was dead quiet. Slowly he opened his eyes. Across the room from him stood the three people he’d been looking for. George was holding his head in his hands as he slowly shook it. Wilbur couldn’t see his face but he knew there was a promise of a lecture later for this one. Next to George was the person he had been dreading seeing. Eret stood as still as a statue, he couldn’t see his eyes from behind the sunglasses; the glasses Wilbur <em>gave him, </em> but his eyebrows had disappeared behind the hair the hung down around his face. As fast as he had looked, Wilbur tore his eyes away, it didn’t matter.</p>
<p>Next to him, that’s what mattered. Next to him stood Niki. Her face was frozen in a mix between horror and shock, which was fair. It wasn't every day your dead friend showed up alive. Her eyebrows were pinched upwards, her mouth open though her hand was raised to cover it. </p>
<p>Nothing moved for a long while. Each side of the room waiting for the other to make the first move. Eventually, George decided to break the tension, “Well, <em> this </em>is the secret we’ve been keeping. I hope you understand why we’ve been lying.” </p>
<p>No one acknowledged the comment, though it did seem to spark something. Slowly, Niki lowered her hand to rest above her heart. A quiet, almost inaudible, “Wil?” Fell from her lips. </p>
<p>It was all it took for a smile to overtake his features, rushing forward to wrap her into a tight hug that she met partway through. The force of the collision forced him to stumble backward but he paid it no mind. Niki was <em>here. </em> Niki was here and she was hugging him and—</p>
<p>“Your hair is different,” He observed. The last time they’d seen each other her hair had been completely blonde, now the only blonde laid in the front two strips, the rest had been dyed a dark brown. It looked nice.</p>
<p>She pulled away in order to look him in the eyes, a look of exasperated confusion taking over, “After everything, all this, that—<em> that </em> is what you have to say?” </p>
<p>“It looks nice?” He offered, sensing he may have done something wrong. </p>
<p>Niki pulled back completely, hit his arm lightly, “Wilbur Soot, I cannot believe you! You were dead! I-I— they said you were dead! Where have you been?!”</p>
<p>“Well, to be fair, I almost did,” He quietly defended himself, but the look of annoyance on Niki’s face was enough to silence that train of thought, “The Dream Team found me at Pogtopia and they helped. But then we found out about Tommy so we decided maybe it would be best not to let anyone know I wasn’t actually dead so we could save him….” He hoped the explanation would suffice. Having Niki be mad at him felt fundamentally <em>wrong. </em> It was valid but it still left a horrid feeling deep within him.</p>
<p>Her eyes softened at the elaboration, which was a start, “You’re ridiculous,” Was all she said, a smile returning to her face.</p>
<p>“Forgive me?” He asked, worry pinching his brows, a nervous smile of his own appearing.</p>
<p>“Maybe,” Niki responded with a playful inflection to her tone, placing a comforting hand back on his arm, easing any worry Wilbur still held.</p>
<p>“Plus! We had to wait on whatever you sent this morning to officially count you in on it so….” He added, remembering the conversation from earlier. Though, at the comment, Niki’s face became one of confusion. She turned her back around to look at George with Wilbur mirroring her action. </p>
<p>It seemed like all eyes were now turned in on him, startling him. Quickly he cleared his throat before speaking, “Yep, we got the information we asked for yesterday this morning. We figured it was better to cautiously mark you two down as ‘maybe’ just in case.” </p>
<p>“R-right! Yeah, the...information….” The <em>stupid </em>voice said. It was a bit obvious that they had no clue what George was talking about but he pointedly kept his eyes down on where Niki’s hand rested, so he couldn’t see any visual confirmation. Maybe he should ask George later but it was likely something that would upset him. He could let it go, just this once.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you two stay out here and we’ll go discuss things?” George offered. </p>
<p>Wilbur wordlessly nodded his head. Niki gave his arm a squeeze before answering, “That sounds good.” </p>
<p>Wilbur didn’t look back until the sound of footsteps faded away completely. Again, Niki was the one to speak first, “Are you okay?” </p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” He answered.</p>
<p>“You know you don’t have to be, right?”</p>
<p>He looked back up at her with a fond smile. She had always been a bit optimistic, “I’ll be fine when all this is over.” </p>
<p>“Nobody would blame you for letting it all out a bit sooner,” She reiterated. </p>
<p>“I’ve done far enough breaking down these past few days,” Wilbur told her with a humorless laugh, “I know how far I can go.” </p>
<p>She didn’t seem to believe him but thankfully she didn’t push anymore. He’d never been great at expressing emotions, a side effect of growing up with Philza and Technobalde, he didn’t really know ‘how far he can go’. </p>
<p>He was certainly better than the rest of his family, or at least he thought so, but he’d learned quickly during the war that emotions were just weights. He had a son and two young boys looking up to him, not to mention the countless men who relied on him to lead them. </p>
<p>Then in the presidency, it’d been speech after meeting after public appearances after bill passing. The only time he’d had to himself was the night, but even then work never seemed to stop. If twilight wasn’t spent hunched over his desk, it was spent crying into his pillow. That was really the only time he’d really allowed himself to feel anything other than the forced positivity he’d grown so used to.</p>
<p>Wilbur cleared his throat, “What about you? What have you been up to?” </p>
<p>“What have I—I’ve spent the past few days <em>mourning. </em> In case you forgot my best friend died,” Niki said as though the question was ridiculous. Which, now that he thought about it, it was. </p>
<p>“Yeah, no I deserved that one,” Wilbur conceded, “Again, I’m really sorry.” </p>
<p>The mild annoyance dissipated from her complexion nearly instantaneously, “It’s fine, I’m just a bit in shock still. Eret’s been amazing, he’s really been a great help.” </p>
<p>It took everything in him not to roll his eyes at the comment, “Sure.” </p>
<p>“I know you don’t trust him, and I get that, but I do believe he’s changed. Tubbo does too. He’s helped us both so much and he’s been giving asylum—“ </p>
<p>“I’m sorry, Niki,” Wilbur began, cutting her off, “But I honestly don’t care.” </p>
<p>She sighed, turning to walk over to the throne and sitting on the steps, “I know you don’t. You don’t have to forgive him, not completely but...maybe you should think about talking with him.” </p>
<p>“I have nothing to say to him,” Wilbur said, joining her on the steps. Everyone had been telling him to <em>talk. </em> There was no reason to talk, he knew what he needed to know and nothing the other could say would change that.</p>
<p>“Yes you do,” She responded as though it was obvious. At his confused look she continued, “If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t hate him so much.” </p>
<p>Wilbur stared at her for a moment before slowly answering, “Ever considered that I do care that he hurt my boys and that’s why I hate him?” </p>
<p>“Well, we both know it’s a bit more complicated than that. He hurt you too,” Niki said gently, “He hates himself for it,” She admitted in a whisper after a beat of silence. </p>
<p>“Good,” Wilbur said bluntly, “Now I really don’t feel like arguing over him. Not now.” </p>
<p>She looked as though she wanted to protest but after a second thought, she let it go. They fell into silence after that, neither one knowing how to continue on. </p>
<p>“We made you grave,” Niki announced, breaking the silence. </p>
<p>It was a weird way of starting conversation again which startled a laugh from him, “Did you?” </p>
<p>Niki hummed in confirmation before standing, pulling him along with her until they entered the small garden located in the center of the grand room. She walked over to a corner of the garden standing before a small wooden sign.</p>
<p>The wood was painted with colorful flowers, his favorite ones standing out against the rest. Laid on the ground in front of it was a L’Manberg flag. Wilbur knelt down to run his hand against the fabric, it’d been a long time since he’d seen his nation's flag. The patch version on his ruined coat had long since faded and stained with dirt and ash. </p>
<p>“Where’d you get this?” He asked Niki, looking back up at her, following her movement as she kneeled next to him. </p>
<p>“Eret had it,” She confessed, “He said it’s the one he used to have on his shield. It’s just temporary, we knew you didn’t want a grave outside of L’Manberg, let alone here, so we were going to move it when we took Schlatt out.” </p>
<p>Wilbur hummed in acknowledgment. Why did Eret still have it? Maybe it was a trophy, a momentum of his master plan. But Niki had said he re— No, no fuck Eret. It didn’t matter <em>why </em>he had it, he should have gotten rid of it. He didn’t deserve it.</p>
<p>Quickly he stood back up, turning away from the makeshift grave for himself, “When you took out Schlatt?” </p>
<p>“Yeah, before the Dream Team tried asking for help, we’d been planning our own little surprise for him,” Niki answered, still sitting in the grass. </p>
<p>“Oh, Schlatt <em>loves </em>surprises,” Wilbur chuckled mostly to himself, looking around the area they were resting in. It was fairly pleasant looking, with large grasses and bright flowers, there were winding vines growing up the sides of the grey stone walls, in the center was a decent size water fountain. Overall it wasn’t the worst place to be buried, had it been anywhere else, he would have liked it.</p>
<p>“Let’s just say we have a large amount of TNT under the fountain,” Niki said coyly, a smile on her lips.</p>
<p>“You put TNT in my grave?!” Wilbur exclaimed, whipping around to fully face her with a laugh.</p>
<p>“What?!” Niki said back, “There’s not a lot of places to hide it! I thought you’d appreciate it.”</p>
<p>He tried to keep up the offended act but Niki was beginning to look actually upset, “No! No, I love it. It’s very nice,” The second the words left his mouth, the small frown she had instantly turned into a bright smile, “Why don’t you tell me what else has been going on?”</p>
<p>Wilbur sat back down, this time taking a seat on the water fountain. He trusted Niki enough not to have put active, unstable dynamite in the royal castle. Of all the people in his life, Niki was on the low end of people he’d expect accidental terrorism from. She nodded enthusiastically, moving to sit next to him. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>The walkout of the throne room was painfully awkward. Not only was there the inherited unease that accompanied them from the day before but now Wilbur had gone and added even more to the mix. Why couldn’t he had just stayed put?</p>
<p>George knew that he must have missed Niki but George had been in the middle trying to explain to the other two why they’d been keeping secrets. But no. That would have been too nice, instead, the idiot had to burst through the door and make a grand entrance. It did get him out of having to answer questions. Wilbur and Niki could talk and then Niki could talk to Eret later. George would give Wilbur that, but <em>only </em>that.</p>
<p>George and Eret made their way back into the discussion room they had fought in just the other day. For a moment they just stood there, silently, waiting for the other person to make the first move. With a sigh, George bit the bullet and spoke, “Sorry about the surprise but he’s, apparently, incapable of following directions.”</p>
<p>That seemed to pull Eret from whatever thought he had gotten lost in, “Oh, yeah, no, he’s--he’s never been good with that.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” George agreed, the awkward silence returning. He knew it was his job to just tell the other everything and this was the time to do so but things still felt heavy around them. Maybe it was the room or Eret’s clear shock, either way, they should really just get it over with.</p>
<p>“What was the information I sent you, by the way?” Eret asked first.</p>
<p>“Oh,” George rolled his eyes, “We didn’t tell Wilbur about what happened the other day, seeing as he likely would have killed all four of us, so we told him we were just waiting on some information from you before we could continue.”</p>
<p>“Tubbo?”</p>
<p>“More or less,” George confirmed. </p>
<p>The king nodded along in understanding and if there was one person who could almost understand their situation it would be Eret, “Well, then, I guess you should probably start explaining things.”</p>
<p>George agreed, pulling out one of the chairs to sit in and waited for Eret to do the same. Once he had, George began, “Well basically Punz and Ponk attacked Pogtopia, Wilbur and Tommy’s base. They captured Tommy and thought they killed Wilbur, which to be fair, it sure as hell looked like they did. But we found him, helped him out, a bit later Schlatt assigns me an off-the-books job which turned out to be essentially torturing Tommy for a crime he didn’t commit.”</p>
<p>“Oh…”</p>
<p>George nodded, the initial horror of opening the letter wasn’t one he was going to forget about soon, “Obviously, I didn’t do that. I hate Schlatt like actually, I can’t stand him. Either way, after that we found out Schlatt plans on having Tommy executed at the upcoming festival. Which is where you come in; Basically we just need Schlatt out of the nation so we can get in without a worry.” </p>
<p>“Just Schlatt?” Eret asked. </p>
<p>“If you can get Quackity and Fundy that’d be great but Schlatt <em>needs </em>to be gone,” George answered after a moment of contemplation. </p>
<p>Quackity didn’t appear to be as blinded by Schlatt as he was not too long ago but that didn’t mean anything and, as far as he knew, Fundy was completely loyal to the president. As it stood, they were both threats to the plan.</p>
<p>“Keep him as long as you can. Dream, Sapnap, and Wilbur are going through the underground tunnels but Tommy and Tubbo are both going to be up top. We don’t want him seeing any final things Tubbo will be doing to the stage exit, which I assume he’s told you about?” George asked with a knowing smile. </p>
<p>“Yeah, don’t worry about that,” Eret confirmed, “Anything else?” </p>
<p>“It’s your meeting so if you can think of any reason to get him over here, that’d be great.”</p>
<p>Eret seemed to think about it for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed deeply in concentration, “I’m sure I could think of something. It’s just--Schlatt is a smart man, as much as I hate to admit it, for all his acts he isn’t an idiot. Not only that but he doesn’t do things on other people’s terms, it always gotta be on his.”</p>
<p>George sighed. The concerns were valid and they should have taken those into account more heavily beforehand but there was only so much they could do, “I know, we don’t have time to do anything else. This isn’t the best plan but we’ve only got three days, it’s this or nothing.”</p>
<p>“I’ll make sure he’s away,” Eret promised, leaning back in his seat.</p>
<p>George gave a curt, “Thank you,” in response. He glanced down at his whisper device, checking the time. He had no idea how long it would take Dream to find Wilbur’s brother or how long Sapnap was planning on staying in Manberg. He didn’t want to rush Wilbur and Niki but the awkward had settled in and, honestly, he was looking for an escape. </p>
<p>At least Eret seemed to feel the same way. The monarch quietly messed with one of the rings he wore, twisting it back and forth for a moment before dropping his hands to his lap with a sigh, “Since we’re officially working together, I feel like I may owe you an apology for how I acted.”</p>
<p>George took a deep breath. He wasn’t good with apologies, or emotions in general, but the thought was nice. He should probably do the same, “It’s fine, and me too.”</p>
<p>“No, it’s not. I let Niki and Tubbo’s emotions become my own when I should have had a clear head. I’m sorry,” Eret said again, still not making eye contact with him. </p>
<p>“Like I said, me too. I shouldn’t have said those things,” George assured him. Maybe he should add Eret to the list of people to take to therapy after everything. </p>
<p>The king gave a small, humorless laugh, “Well, you weren’t wrong. I think I lost the ability to ever take a moral high ground a while ago.”</p>
<p>“Doesn’t make it okay.”</p>
<p>Eret barely shook his head, he didn’t look convinced at all but he quickly moved on instead of arguing, “Either way, I shouldn’t have done any of that and I wanted to assure you, I’m fully on board.” </p>
<p>George nodded, “We appreciate it, and like I said, me too. You aren’t the bad guy here,” He said, giving the other what he hoped was a sympathetic look. Though it only earned him a sardonic smile, “Maybe when this is all over you’ll believe me.”</p>
<p>Eret muttered a quiet ‘maybe’ before standing up, putting on a large smile, “Well, I’m glad that is all settled. I’ll see what I can do about Schlatt.” </p>
<p>It seemed as though Eret was done with talking, which was fair. Honestly, George was glad to be done with it as well. Standing up himself, he held out a hand, “Glad we can be on the same page for once.” </p>
<p>“Likewise,” Eret said, shaking the offered hand. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>On the way back to the center room his whisper device buzzed. It was a message from Dream, letting them know he’d just gotten home, that he’d found Wilbur’s brother, and that the instruction had been given. </p>
<p>Great, Sapnap had no set goal in Manberg which meant that, for once, everything had worked out. It was the first day in what felt like forever that things weren’t <em>bad. </em> The relief flooded over him like a tidal wave, cooling all the stress he’d carried with him into the castle. Things were working, now they just needed to keep it that way. Three more days, they could do three days. It’s just no one had to be an idiot, which was hard for their group, but at least now they weren’t alone.</p>
<p>He found Wilbur and Niki in the garden, talking quietly to each other, perched on the water fountain. Eret had opted for waiting a bit further into the surrounding room.  It took them a moment to realize they were no longer alone, not even after George had cleared his throat, too wrapped up in their own little world to pay attention. It took him clearly vocalizing his arrival for them to even spare him a glance.</p>
<p>His face must be telling of something. As soon as Niki took note of him, she bumped her shoulder against the man’s who sat next to her with a teasing ‘told you so’. Wilbur, on the other hand, didn’t look too happy about whatever she was referencing. Before George could ask about the conflicting reaction, and what caused them, Wilbur stood from where he sat, holding a hand out to help Niki do the same, “Did you work it out?” Wilbur asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I think so,” George answered, running a hand through the fringe of his hair, “I mean we talked about how things are going to go with us and what we need from him. But he’s figuring out how to get Schlatt here.”</p>
<p>Wilbur let out an almost disapproving hum at the explanation. Honestly, George was just glad that he wasn’t actively arguing against it still, it’d be too much wishful thinking to hope for anything more, “Are we leaving then?”</p>
<p>“Dream already found your brother, he’s back home,” George told him. It wasn’t exactly an answer but it did the job. A pang of guilt ran through him as both their faces dropped at the words but it needed to be done. They could spend however much time together that they wanted after they saved Tommy. But, for now, no one could get too comfortable. </p>
<p>“Right, well then, I guess I have to go,” Wilbur muttered, looking back down at the women beside him. Neither one wanted to say goodbye, it was as clear as day, but with a melancholy reluctance, Wilbur pulled her back into a hug. Without another word, George left the pair alone in the garden. The last thing he wanted to do was make them feel rushed, it was probably the bare minimum of what he could do after lying for so long. </p>
<p>With a quick scan of the room, he found Eret, sitting on the steps leading up to the golden throne. He silently fiddled with a golden decal on his red jacket, staring off into nothing with a conflicted look contorting his face. Looking like a stranger in his own home.</p>
<p>Thankfully, he’d heard the sound of approaching footsteps and looked up before George could accidentally startle him, “We’re about to leave. They’re saying goodbye.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Eret said, “Good, good. She’s been heartbroken. We’d just gotten to the anger stage, and I don’t know if you’ve ever dealt with an angry Niki, but it was terrifying.”</p>
<p>George laughed at the comment, “I mean, she didn’t seem happy the other day.”</p>
<p>“Oh no, that was a pissed-off Niki, not an angry Niki,” Eret corrected. It was clear he didn’t actually mean anything by the words, but there was a subtle honestly to them as well. </p>
<p>“Well noted, I’ll try my hardest not to make her hate me anymore,” George promised. He hadn’t planned on it but the warning fully solidified the plan.</p>
<p>The sound of footsteps against the polished stone echoed from behind him, Wilbur’s voice accompanying it, “I’m ready.”</p>
<p>From where he sat, Eret quickly stood up, walking off the steps to stand next to George. It was hard to tell from behind the sunglasses, but from the side, he could make out just how wide the eyes of the other had gotten. He looked absolutely terrified. </p>
<p>“Great, we can go then,” George responded before turning to face the man next to him, “Would we exit the same way we came in?”</p>
<p>It took a second before the words seemed to register with the other, and another one before he looked back at George, “Uh, yeah. I mean, there’s a backdoor. It’s less sneaky but it might be easier to get out of. It leads down into a large, empty field but if you go right it leads back into the woods.”</p>
<p>“Aren't people out there?” George asked, it would be a lot easier but now wasn’t the time to start taking risks. Again.</p>
<p>“There shouldn’t be, someone just bought it for an animal sanctuary,” Eret explained. That had to be Antfrost, the feline hadn’t stopped talking about his sanctuary plans since he’d gotten on the world. George didn’t know Ant had gotten the plot, though, good for him. But that also made it safe, Ant was his friend. The cat wouldn’t turn them in, he knew that. It could be a nice shortcut, bypassing walking around the entire castle and navigating the winding hidden passageway. </p>
<p>“That’d be great, thanks,” George answered. From the other side of him, Wilbur gave him an affronted look, clearly not happy with the choice, “Antfrost was the one to buy the land, right?” He asked, continuing when Eret gave confirmation, “Great, he’s a close friend, we’ll be fine.”</p>
<p>The last part was directed completely at his companion, emphasized with his eye contact on the last sentence. All he got in return was an eye roll. Ignoring the childish behavior, he looked back at the monarch, asking him to lead the way.</p>
<p>The walk to the back gates was an uncomfortable one, to say the least. George walked alongside Eret, though the time was spent in awkward silence. The only time it was broken was George telling him about the message from Sapnap he’d received. Behind them, Wilbur and Niki followed, whispering to each other the entire way. Once they reached the gate the pair broke up, Niki giving Wilbur a last hug before standing beside Eret, an act that Wilbur was clearly not happy about. The final goodbyes were quick and to the point. It wasn’t until the gates closed behind them that George felt he could breathe again, the tense atmosphere had felt like he was suffocating. </p>
<p>Seemingly quicker than when they’d first made the journey, the duo found themselves back at the team’s home, not having spoken a word the entire time. Once they entered the house, Wilbur tossed the auburn beanie down onto the counter before immediately going up the stairs to the room put aside for him.  George made no move to stop him, the guy needed to be alone and who was George to tell him to suck it up. George locked the door behind them, turning to face the kitchen table, where Dream sat. The masked man gave him a curious head tilt, gesturing to the stairs Wilbur had just gone up.</p>
<p>The brit didn’t answer until he’d sat down at the table himself, taking the suit jacket off as he did so, “I don’t think he prepared himself enough to go.”</p>
<p>“Was it bad?” Dream asked with a sympathetic tone.</p>
<p>“Depends. He didn’t once look at Eret and I’m pretty confident that Eret is scared of him but Niki and Eret don’t hate us anymore,” George told his friend. </p>
<p>Dream nodded his head at the information, “So they know what they’re doing?”</p>
<p>“More or less. Eret knows what we need, when we need it, all that. He’s working on what’s the best way to get Schlatt over. He brought up a good point; Schlatt doesn’t usually do what others want,” George said. It was true and it was stupid of them to not have considered it sooner, but the past is the past, they couldn’t change it now. He trusted Eret to find a way to get the president to the other nation. They were all aware of how good a liar Eret could be when he tried.</p>
<p>“We should call Sapnap, get him back here,” Dream said, pivoting the conversation, “By the time he gets back it’ll be getting time to prepare for when Wil’s brother gets here.”</p>
<p>George nodded, that was probably taking into account the fact that Sap was definitely going to drag his feet leaving Karl, “Think he’s still mad about that?”</p>
<p>“He’s always mad about something,” Dream pointed out with a fond smile, “Hopefully Karl or Tubbo told him what happened.”</p>
<p>The friends fell into normal conversation after that. It wasn’t until Sapnap returned from Manberg that Wilbur came back down to join them. The trio decided not to mention the reddened eyes. George ran through what had happened at the castle once again for the pyro, and Dream explained that he’d found Wilbur’s brother, which thankfully, seemed to perk Wilbur up. </p>
<p>Sapnap told them that progress with the stage was going very well but overall the trip to Manberg had been uneventful. Someone who didn’t know the other as well he did may have believed him, but he knew Sapnap too much. There was something more than he wasn’t telling them but if Sapnap decided that now wasn’t the time to bring it up then he trusted him. From the side of his eye, he could tell Dream knew the same. </p>
<p>Just as he had with Dream, once the business was done they had nothing to do but wait, so the conversation moved on to lighter subjects. Wilbur stayed quiet through most of it, only offering a sarcastic comment or joke every once in a while, if they were lucky they could get a small laugh. Though after a while he seemed to warm up more, actually engaging with the conversation, which rapidly became a debate. If there was one thing Wilbur loved, it was debating. </p>
<p>Sapnap and Dream were standing up, shouting at each other through wheezing laughs while George and Wilbur cried, laughing from their seats. For a brief moment, the shouting ceased, the two standing locking into a challenge, fighting through aggressive eye contact as opposed to the yelling. </p>
<p>Just as Sapnap opened his mouth to speak again a loud knock pounded against the door scaring the four occupants. Sapnap jumped stumbling backward and kicking over the chair behind him. Dream moved to reach across the table to catch his friend but only managed to push the table forward, causing him to fall himself and hitting the other two with the furniture. </p>
<p>“Dream!” George scolded in a whisper, “What the hell?” </p>
<p>“I was trying to catch him!” The blonde defended himself, gesturing wilding towards the last member of the team, who sat on the floor still stunned from the fall. </p>
<p>Though at his mention, Sapnap’s head shot up, glaring at the man in green, “I don’t need your help!” </p>
<p>“Guys! The person at the door?!” Wilbur reminded, standing quickly from his chair, cringing as the wood scraped against the floor. He stepped around where Sapnap was sitting, reaching for his discarded beanie which laid on the counter. Though, he misstepped causing himself to stumble and knocked over a glass that had been left out from the morning.</p>
<p>They all shared a wide-eyed look before Dream took control, still whispering, “Wilbur go hide! I’ll take care of whoever is here and you two try and clean.” </p>
<p>Each person swiftly did as instructed. Through the chaos of trying to clean, George could hear Dream greeting the person. The brit hit Sapnap’s arm, drawing his attention, “Wilbur’s brother!” </p>
<p>Sapnap’s eyes widened in realization. Time had flown by so quickly they’d forgotten that a welcomed guest was coming over. Faintly he could hear the creak of the door opening and his name being mentioned. </p>
<p>He only caught a quick glimpse of their friend's elusive brother before a blur came barreling past them, knocking into the other with an impressive force. Though, even more impressive was the fact that neither one went flying to the ground. He couldn’t get a good look at whoever it was, Wilbur’s tall frame and long coat blocking a lot of him. There seemed to be a lot of red on his clothing and a golden crown resting on pink hair. </p>
<p>George was trying to see more when something began hitting his hand and arm. His head snapped to his side to find Sapnap repeatedly hitting him, prompting him to hit his friend back. George wouldn’t consider himself childish but <em> come on, </em>the man didn’t even bother looking back at him. Instead, his wide eyes stared forward at the siblings. </p>
<p>Upon getting no reaction, George leaned over and whispered, <em> “What is your problem?!” </em></p>
<p>Sapnap gave no response, he simply pulled the smaller man until George occupied the space Sapnap once stood in and pointed towards the pair. What— </p>
<p>Holy Prime.</p>
<p>No way, no <em> way. </em> </p>
<p>Directly in his line of sight stood none other than <em> Technoblade. </em> George looked over at his friend who just nodded back vigorously, eyes still wide. Wilbur’s brother could not be <em> Technobalde! </em> Wilbur was so…Wilbur and Technobalde was The Blade! </p>
<p>Oh, the bastard had been teasing him. Oh, that little— It did make sense. The over-dramatic, government-hating, potato farming older brother, strong enough to take down Schlatt? He should have seen that one coming. Thankfully, Sapnap hadn’t put it together either, Dream obviously had, which made more sense now. How could he have missed—</p>
<p>A shout drew George from his annoyed musings. Technobalde was demanding to know where Tommy was, hands planted firmly on Wilbur’s shoulder and mask hastily pushed up against the crown he wore. The anger was rolling off the piglin in palpable waves.</p>
<p>Dream stepped forward to intervene in whatever argument was happening but that only seemed to anger <em> Wilbur’s older brother Technobalde, </em> more. </p>
<p>George gave Sapnap a look from the side of his eyes, this felt like a private moment they shouldn’t be around for. Sapnap’s still wide eyes locked with his own, though he only offered a shrug of the shoulders. With a roll of his eyes, he looked back over towards the other three.</p>
<p>“I get bragged to a new world just to find out my little brothers might <em> both </em>be dead,” Technobalde said with barely controlled rage. </p>
<p>Wait—<em> little brothers? </em> Plural? But it was just Wilbur and Tommy that— </p>
<p><em> “Motherfucker,” </em> George hissed into himself. <em> Tommy Godsdamn Innit </em>was the little brother. How did he miss that?! It was right there! The son of a bitch basically told him! Prime, was he really that dense?</p>
<p>No, no, it’s just—it wasn’t obvious. People get close all the time! People can form brotherly bonds, he did it with Sapnap and Dream! This was on Wilbur. Yeah, he was purposefully leading him astray. This wasn’t on him, no way. </p>
<p>But….it was obvious. Painfully so. <em> How did he miss this? </em> Did the others know?</p>
<p>A hard yank on his arm pulled George from his frantic thoughts. He looked up to find Dream dragging both him and Sapnap away from the brothers. </p>
<p>“Did you know?!” George demanded quietly as Dream tugged them along. </p>
<p>“Not now!” Dream whispered back. </p>
<p>“Was that fucking Technobalde?!” Sapnap asked, slightly dazed and in awe. </p>
<p>Dream pulled them into one of the lower-level rooms they mostly used for storage. The room was as far back as they could get in the house, it wasn’t one that saw much use and honestly, George had forgotten about its existence. Dream closed the door with a soft click, leaning against it and letting out a long breath.</p>
<p>The silence only lasted for a second before George began again, “What the <em>hell? Tommy?!” </em></p>
<p>“George everyone knew but you,” Sapnap told him, “Like, dude it was so fucking obvious, that is completely on you.” </p>
<p>“It wasn’t obvious! If it was I would have put it together before now,” George argued back. </p>
<p>“I figured it out during the revolution,” Dream offered, raising a hand slightly as he did so. </p>
<p>Sapnap gave his shoulder a sympathetic pat, “We were going to start a bet for how long it took you after the rescue.” </p>
<p>George gave him an offended look. It wasn’t obvious! “I can’t believe any of you! A bet?!” </p>
<p>“To be fair,” Dream spoke up, “It was really funny watching.” </p>
<p>George gave his friends a glare. His own best friends, his <em>family, </em> and they’d let him look like an idiot. <em> No. </em> He couldn’t be an idiot if it wasn’t obvious, “I hate you all.” </p>
<p>“Okay but more importantly,” Sapnap said, “Fucking Technobalde?!” </p>
<p>Dream folded his arms over his chest, “Yeah, to be fair I didn’t know either until Wilbur was talking about why Tommy needed those supplies.” </p>
<p>“You two are being far too calm about this! His <em> brother </em> is <em> Technoblade!” </em> Sapnap exclaimed looking between his two friends. </p>
<p>It was certainly shocking. Everyone knew about The Blade, the most feared warrior in nearly all the worlds. The anarchist was a bit of a legend but honestly, he got most of the info from Dream, “So Technoblade, Wilbur Soot, and Tommy Innit are all brothers? This is unbelievable,” George muttered, rolling his eyes.</p>
<p>“George! You’re the only one confused about Tommy! You’re an idiot!” Sapnap told him, finding an unwarranted amount of amusement in his friend’s frustration. Instead of dignifying the comment with a response, George quickly threw a punch at the other’s arm. He giggled at the shocked look in the other’s blue eyes as he slammed against the wooden wall. </p>
<p>“Guys--” Dream tried through a laugh, “Guys, Wilbur and Techno are having an intense reunion and you’re--you’re pushing each other.”</p>
<p>The comment must have an attempt to calm them down but it only caused them to laugh harder. Gasps of air suffocating any words as the trio tried to keep quiet. It wasn’t even that funny it was simply the ridiculous situation they found themselves in, really. Gods, when had life gotten to this point? </p>
<p>Each time they almost calmed down, they’d make eye contact and end up in the same position as before, eventually leaving all three sat on the floor, gasping. It had been long enough for George to have forgotten why they were laughing when the door of the room was pulled open suddenly.</p>
<p>The abrupt movement was enough to put a pause in the silent laughing. George looked up as he whipped at his eyes, to find Techno and Wilbur looking down at them. Wilbur stood behind his brother with an amused look, despite the tear tracks down his cheeks. Technoblade was the opposite, looking as though he wanted to be anywhere but where he was, “Well, this is going to be difficult,” His gruff voice deadpanned.</p>
<p>There was a beat before Dream’s wheezing laugh began again. Less than a second later the other two joined in.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don’t remember the last lore stream I watched outside Eret/Foolish/Eggpire stuff but I’ve heard a certain bastard is back? As a c!Wilbur enthusiast I’m thriving but as a Ghostbur stan I’m heartbroken.</p>
<p>I’ve also got an unwarranted amount of hc’s about Eret’s garden, I have no clue why, but I do.</p>
<p>Also, I’ve got another much much smaller chapter fic going that’s more recent in the canon timeline about the minors of the SMP that I’m pretty proud of. So check that out if you’re interested.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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